Protection from HIV

How can you protect yourself and others from HIV?

• Use condoms or femidoms when having vaginal sex (penis in vagina) or anal sex (penis in bum). Condoms and femidoms protect you from HIV and reduce the risk of infection with other sexually transmitted diseases.
• Treatment as Prevention: People with HIV take HIV medication to stop the virus from replicating in the body. In this case HIV can no longer be transmitted during sex. Further information
   
• PrEP (“Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis”): With PrEP, an HIV-negative person takes a certain HIV medication that protects against HIV infections.

Further information on the topic of “safer sex” can be found here.

• When injecting drugs, use only your own syringes and needles and do not give them to other people. New syringes can be obtained from pharmacies and drug help centers.
• Pregnant people with HIV can avoid transmission to their babies by taking medication against HIV and have HIV specialists attend the birth. Under optimal conditions, vaginal delivery and breastfeeding are possible. All pregnant people in Germany are offered an HIV test.

Can you get HIV in the course of everyday life?

No, there is no danger of infection in everyday life. You don’t need to have any concerns about living and working together with other people, shaking hands, hugging and kissing, using the same toilets, bathrooms and saunas, eating from the same plate, drinking from the same glass and using the same cutlery. HIV is not transmitted by air, saliva, tears, sweat, urine, excrement, nor is it transmitted by insect bites.