you’re still negative?
- “If a guy had HIV, he’d tell me”
- “He didn’t mention HIV. So no need for condoms.”
- “I tested negative in the past, so must still be OK”
- “If I had HIV I’d know. I’d feel ‘different’.”
- “If I’ve got HIV I’d rather not know.”
- “I’ll wait until I’m ill before I test.”
- “I sometimes worry about getting HIV”
- “I got ill a few weeks after unsafe sex. Was it serious?”
Downloads about sex and
sexual health
“If I’ve got HIV I’d rather not know.”
Avoiding testing won’t make HIV go away. All the time someone with HIV is untested and untreated the virus is silently attacking their body... until the day comes when they can fall dangerously ill. And by not knowing you also risk infecting others.
Between 8,000 and 10,000 gay men in the UK have HIV without knowing. Most think they’re still HIV negative. 1 in 4 gay men with HIV don’t realise they have it.
In some big city gay scenes nearly half of men with HIV may not know they have it.**source: Health Protection Agency, 2008 and J Dodds A tale of three cities, 2007.
So lots of us have HIV without realising. Now let’s bust some myths!