Understanding HIV in everyday life

People living with HIV today can lead full, active, and healthy lives thanks to advances in effective treatment and greater public understanding. For health and social care workers, it is essential to understand what HIV really means in day-to-day life, beyond the diagnosis.

Here are some key points around understanding HIV in everyday life to support inclusive, informed, and person-centred care:

HIV is a manageable, long-term condition

With access to antiretroviral therapy (ART), HIV is no longer a life-limiting condition. People on treatment can live as long as anyone else. They can also go to work, raise families, and enjoy everyday hobbies and activities just like anyone else.

Because HIV is often well managed, you might not know if a work colleague, friend, or family member is living with HIV. That’s why using inclusive language and respectful attitudes is so important all the time. Routine care should reflect this – using standard infection control procedures is enough and means you and those you are caring for are protected. HIV should not be treated as something exceptional.

HIV does not define a person

A person’s HIV status is just one part of who they are. It should not influence how they are spoken to, treated, or supported.

People living with HIV face the same daily challenges as anyone else — work, pregnancy and feeding a baby, parenting, financial stress, relationships, and other health conditions. It is important to treat the whole person, not the virus.

When treated, HIV can’t be passed on

When someone is taking effective treatment, the level of HIV in their blood becomes so low that it can no longer be detected. 

This means:

• HIV cannot be passed on to their sexual partners. This applies to all partners, regardless of the type of sex they are having
• The risk of passing on HIV in health and social care settings through incidents such as needlestick injuries is extremely low
• The risk of passing on HIV through pregnancy and breastfeeding is extremely low

Sharing your status is a personal choice

In Scotland and the rest of the UK, people living with HIV do not have to share their HIV status unless it is clinically relevant. Many choose not to share this information due to stigma or past discrimination.

As a health and care provider:

• Never pressure someone to share more information than they want to or than is necessary for their care
• Treat any information shared as strictly confidential and only share it if it is directly relevant to their support and always in line with your organisation’s policies

Stigma still exists – and your role matters

Despite medical advances, HIV-related stigma is still common – especially in some communities, age groups and even health and care settings.

HIV-related stigma can hurt people you work alongside or support who may be living with HIV. Your respectful language and behaviour help build trust and safety for everyone. Remember to speak up when you hear outdated or inaccurate information.

Support, not pity

People living with HIV do not need pity. They need care that is:

• Fair
• Respectful
• Informed

Avoid language such as ‘suffering from HIV’. Instead, say ‘living with HIV’.  You can find more information on HIV language in our resources section.