health and ageing

HIV/AIDS Interactive Quiz - text only version



Question 1

What is the difference between HIV and AIDS?
(a) HIV causes AIDS.
(b) There is no difference between HIV and AIDS.
(c) There is no cure for AIDS but there is a cure for HIV.

Answer (a)
HIV is the name of the virus that can cause a group of diseases known as AIDS. Someone
who has the virus HIV may not have developed AIDS. Without medical treatment it can take
5, 10, even 15 years to get to the AIDS stage. With treatment, it can take twice as long.
Small numbers of people have not got AIDS even after ten years.

The difference between HIV and AIDS

HIV/AIDS is often written and referred to as one word with one meaning. But HIV and AIDS have two different meanings.

HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. This is the virus that can cause AIDS. If you have been infected with HIV you are said to be HIV-positive. At the moment, there is no cure for HIV and the virus will always remain in your blood. However, it is important to remember that many people who are HIV-positive look and feel healthy.

AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.

AIDS is rarely one disease but rather a group or combination of illnesses that develop because the body can no longer fight disease as it normally would. Treatments now available cannot cure HIV but may delay the development of AIDS for many years.


Question 2

Which body fluid CANNOT transmit HIV?
(a) Blood
(b) Semen
(c) Vaginal fluids
(d) Breast milk
(e) Saliva

Answer (e)
Saliva cannot transmit HIV. To get HIV from saliva you would need to get a lot (cups and cups full) of saliva into your blood through bleeding gums or a cut.

Can we kiss?

Because of the very small amounts of HIV are found in the saliva of an infected person, very large amounts of saliva would need to get into the bloodstream for infection to occur. Therefore, deep kissing is not an "at risk" behaviour for transmission of HIV. Remember the virus that causes HIV can only be found in human bodily fluids such as blood, sperm and vaginal fluids. Transmission can only occur when the body fluids of an infected person enter your body through an opening, e.g. sharing needles, unsafe sex.


Question 3

Is there a cure for AIDS?
(a) Yes
(b) No

Answer (b)
There is no cure for AIDS and there is no vaccine. Complex routines of taking medical drugs can help control the virus and make a person’s life longer and healthier than it would have been without medication. But there is no a cure.

Cure for AIDS

AIDS treatments are improving, but no cure is predicted in this decade. More likely developments are better and cheaper treatments with less side effects.

Several potential AIDS vaccines are under investigation. A vaccine is hard to find as the virus keeps changing (or mutating) and HIV can "hide" for long periods in the immune system's memory cells. Hope is growing that an HIV vaccine that at least slows disease progression, if not one that prevents infection, is possible.


Question 4

Can you get HIV from oval sex?
(a) There is a high chance of getting HIV from oral sex.
(b) There is a low chance of getting HIV from oral sex.
(c) Only if you are gay.

Answer (b)
Oral sex is not very risky for HIV. There is a small chance but it is rare. A person’s chances could be higher if they have cuts in their mouth or bleeding gums when they go down on a person. It’s a good idea to avoid cumming into the mouth if the other person has cuts in their mouth, or has just brushed their teeth! Other sexually transmitted infections are more easily spread by oral sex like herpes, chlamydia and gonorrhoea.

Oral sex

Australian safe sex guidelines do not advocate using a condom for oral sex unless mouth or penis or labia have cuts or sores, because the risk of HIV transmission is believed to be minute. You can go down on a vagina or penis with a low risk of catching HIV, but other STIs can be passed on in this way. You can lower the risks further by making sure you and your partner have no cuts or sores around and in your genitals and mouths.

To lower the risk further avoid getting your partner's cum in your mouth.

To be extra safe don't brush your teeth just before oral sex. If your gums bleed easily, it is better to use a condom for oral sex.


Question 5

On average, how long do you have to wait to know if you have HIV?
(a) It takes your body up to 3 months to develop detectable signs of HIV.
(b) It takes one week after infection.
(c) It takes 9 months.

Answer (a)
It takes up to three months for the body to develop signs that can be seen in a blood test. Most people develop antibodies 20 days. The most common test for HIV is an HIV antibody test. When a virus gets into a person’s body, cells are made to get rid of the ‘invader’. These cells are called antibodies. An HIV antibody test is looking for signs of HIV antibodies.

Waiting periods

To find out when you should be tested, discuss it with your doctor. The tests commonly used to detect HIV infection actually look for antibodies produced by your body to fight HIV. Most people will develop detectable antibodies within 3 months after infection, the average being 20 days. In rare cases, it can take 6-12 months. During the time between exposure and the test, it is important to avoid any behavior that might result in exposure to blood, semen, or vaginal secretions.

Important things to remember about the HIV antibody test are:

Question 6

What does it mean to have HIV?
(a) I can never have sex again.
(b) I need to give up work.
(c) I cannot have children.
(d) None of the above.

Answer (d)
None of the above. A person with HIV does not have to cancel their life – they can live for 2 to 20 years with this virus. There will be periods of sickness and tiredness but there will also be long periods of wellness. Support people and good medical care make a huge difference.

A positive HIV test doesn't mean you are going to die from AIDS. It's true that there is still no cure which will eliminate HIV from an infected person. However, major advances in treatment options in the last few years have meant that HIV is not likely to cause AIDS illnesses and death as in the past. You certainly won't die tomorrow, and in fact you may never develop AIDS.

In terms of relationships, sex and children, HIV can have a significant impact on your sexual and emotional life, but it won't eliminate it. Many people currently living with HIV are in a relationship or sexually active. Some people are in successful long-term relationships with a person who is HIV negative. HIV will complicate things - issues such as safe sex, lifestyle changes, and fear of infecting partners are now on the agenda. But most people find ways to successfully negotiate these situations, and talking to other positive people and healthcare providers can be invaluable.


Question 7

When does a person have AIDS?
(a) When they become infected with HIV.
(b) When their immune system is seriously damaged.

Answer (b)
AIDS is defined as when a person has had one or more ‘AIDS defining illnesses’ and a T-cell count of below 200. An ‘AIDS defining illness’ is the kind of disease a person could get because their immune system is so vulnerable, like certain kinds of cancers, or pneumonia. A low T-cell count tells a person that the virus has destroyed a lot of their healthy T-cells.

HIV/AIDS is often written and referred to as one word with one meaning. But HIV and AIDS have two different meanings.

HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. This is the virus that can cause AIDS. If you have been infected with HIV you are said to be HIV-positive.

At the moment, there is no cure for HIV and the virus will always remain in your blood. However, it is important to remember that many people who are HIV-positive look and feel healthy.

AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.

AIDS is rarely one disease but rather a group or combination of illnesses that develop because the body can no longer fight disease as it normally would. Treatments now available cannot cure HIV but may delay the development of AIDS for many years.


Question 8

How do HIV treatment drugs work?
(a) They destroy the virus.
(b) When their immune system is seriously damaged.

Answer (b)
The drugs cannot destroy the virus but they slow it down from making more copies and destroying the body’s immune system.

How HIV treatment drugs work?

The drugs control the virus by stopping it from making copies of itself inside the cells of the body. Generally, the virus gets into a body cell and starts to make copies of itself, which then spread out of that cell and into another. Drug treatments interfere with the chemicals that the virus uses to make these copies. The virus can become resistant to the drugs, which means that they won't work as well. The treatment may then have to be changed to a different combination of drugs.

People taking drug treatment for HIV will probably need to take it for the rest of their lives. Stopping drug treatment, even for short periods of time, can cause the virus to become resistant to those drugs. A lot of research is being done in this area, to see if people with HIV will be able to take short breaks from treatment without harmful effects. This may be possible in the future; however, at the moment, it is not recommended.


Question 9

Possible HIV drug side effects include:
(a) Vomiting
(b) Insomnia
(c) Headaches
(d) Muscle wasting
(e) Hair loss
(f) Rash
(g) All of the above

Answer (g)
All of the above. HIV drug treatments can cause side effects – but there are also treatments for those side effects. It is important to find out before you start a new drug what the side effects might be, and how to help them. It is also important to tell your doctor if you get any side effects, as you may be able to change your medication.

HIV drug side effects

Medications are prescribed for a specific purpose, such as to control HIV. Anything else the drug does is a side effect. Some side effects are mild, like a slight headache. Others, like liver damage, can be severe and, in rare cases, fatal. Some last for just a few days, but others might continue as long as you take a medication, or even after you stop.

Most people taking anti-HIV medications have some side effects. In general, higher amounts of drugs cause more side effects. Each medication comes with information on its most common side effects. Don't assume that you will get every side effect! Some people have only minor side effects when they take their HIV medications.

The most common side effects of HIV medications are nausea, fatigue and diarrhoea. Not everyone will experience these side effects, but knowing more about them will make them easier to manage if they do arise.


Question 10

HIV treatment can be taken forever, allowing a person to have a normal lifespan.
(a) Yes
(b) No

Answer (b)
No. HIV drugs are very toxic and cause severe side effects like heart damage and kidney failure. So a person may be able to take them for a long time, but then the side effects of the drug can cause life threatening illnesses. Consequently new drug treatments will be tried.

How HIV treatment drugs

The drugs control the virus by stopping it from making copies of itself inside the cells of the body. Generally, the virus gets into a body cell and starts to make copies of itself, which then spread out of that cell and into another. Drug treatments interfere with the chemicals that the virus uses to make these copies. The virus can become resistant to the drugs, which means that they won't work as well. The treatment may then have to be changed to a different combination of drugs.

People taking drug treatment for HIV will probably need to take it for the rest of their lives. Stopping drug treatment, even for short periods of time, can cause the virus to become resistant to those drugs. A lot of research is being done in this area, to see if people with HIV will be able to take short breaks from treatment without harmful effects. This may be possible in the future; however, at the moment, it is not recommended.
International Links | Contact Us | Feedback
Top of page | Copyright | Linking to this site | Disclaimer | Privacy
URL: www.worldaidsday.org.au/internet/wad/publishing.nsf/Content/hiv-aids-quiz-text