Who's most at risk?

The most common way of getting HIV in the UK is by anal or vaginal sex without a condom. There is also a risk of transmission through oral sex, but this is much lower.

You could be at higher risk if you:

• are a man who has unprotected sex with men
• engage in chemsex (using drugs to help or enhance sex) 
• are a woman who has unprotected sex with men who have sex with men
• have unprotected sex with a person who has lived or travelled in Africa
• have another sexually transmitted infection
• inject drugs and share equipment
• have unprotected sex with somebody who has injected drugs and shared equipment
• have received a blood transfusion while in Africa, eastern Europe, the countries of the former Soviet Union, Asia or central and southern America

You can book to have a confidential HIV test at any of our clinics or if you live in Wirral and are aged 16+ you can request a FREE NHS postal test kit that will include a self-screening test for HIV. The kit will require you to take a spot test of blood from your finger, however clear instructions are provided in the kit with a freepost envelope for you to return your sample to the laboratory for testing. Request your test today.