Assembly Commentary
Thank you for holding a World AIDS Day Assembly and fundraising for Terrence Higgins Trust –
and for choosing to educate your students about HIV and sexual health. We also appreciate you
supporting our vital work with people living with, and affected by, HIV.
We know that HIV and sexual health can be a tricky subject to teach and to engage your
students with. We want to make it as easy as possible for you to have this discussion.
We realise that all students and year groups are different and that some young people will have
different reactions to this topic than others. We have included all the information that is
relevant to the subject, but if you feel there is too much detail for your students then feel free
to cut some of the information down.
In light of this we have included ‘essential information’ in black text and ‘additional
information’ in green text.
Slide 1
What do these celebs have in common?
1-2 mins approx
Before introducing the topic/theme of the assembly, ask the students: ‘What do all these celebs
have in common?’
Helpful suggestions can include:
Have they all been on X Factor?
Have they all been in EastEnders?
Are they the richest celebs in Britain?
The answer is: They are all wearing a red ribbon.
Ask your students whether they know what the red ribbon stands for. (It is not Breast Cancer
Now which is baby pink.)
This red ribbon symbolises World AIDS Day.
Slide 2
World AIDS Day – 1 December
1 min approx
World AIDS Day is when the world acknowledges, remembers and supports those living with
and affected by HIV and AIDS. It is a time to look back on how far we have come in terms of
better treatments and understanding of the virus, although there is still a long way to go to
tackle the stigma and discrimination around HIV. However, it is also a time to look towards the
next vital steps in tackling the condition, while standing with and supporting people who are
living with HIV.
Slide 3
1 min approx
What are the differences between HIV and AIDS?
But what is HIV? And what is AIDS? Are they the same thing?
Slide 4
1-2 mins approx
What is HIV? What is AIDS?
Some people use the terms ‘HIV’ and ‘AIDS’ as if they mean the same thing yet they don’t. HIV
is a virus and people with it have ‘HIV infection.’
HIV stands for ‘Human Immunodeficiency Virus’. It is a virus which causes damage to the
immune system. Your immune system protects you from illnesses and infections. HIV uses
important immune system cells, called CD4 cells, to make more copies of itself.
In the process it kills off some of your CD4 cells and the number you have to protect you from
illnesses drops. As the number decreases you are likely to get an ‘opportunistic infection’ these can include tuberculosis or certain types of cancers.
AIDS stands for ‘Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome’. This describes the stage at which a
person’s immune system has been so badly damaged by HIV that ‘opportunistic infections’ and
‘AIDS-defining illnesses’ can take advantage and infect the person.
In the past there was no treatment for HIV so most people who were diagnosed with AIDS died.
However, due to treatment, this is no longer the case in the UK.
There is a test for the virus (an HIV test) but there is no ‘AIDS test’. And people can get HIV but
they cannot ‘catch AIDS’.
Slide 5
1 min approx
More information on what HIV does in the body
Some people notice no symptoms when they are first infected with HIV. But within six weeks of
infection most people experience a short flu-like illness known as ‘seroconversion’. This lasts
around two weeks as their body reacts to the virus. Seroconversion involves two or more of the
following: body rash, sore throat or fever. Once this stage passes an infected person often feels
fine for a number of years.
However, if treatment is not started early enough, the virus can cause a lot of damage to a
person’s immune system.
Slide 6
1 min approx
Statistics – people living with HIV and putting those numbers in context
By the end of 2014, an estimated 35 million people were living with HIV worldwide. A total of
103,700 people in the UK are estimated to be living with HIV. Just to put this in perspective, the
capacity of (choose the one most relevant to your school!):

Wembley Stadium in London is 90,000.

Millennium Stadium in Cardiff is 72,500.

Hampden Park in Glasgow is 52,063.

Murrayfield in Edinburgh is 67,800.
Of the 103,700 people living with HIV in the UK, nearly one in six (17%) of them does not know
that they are living with the virus.
[Slides 7-14
]
10-15 mins approx.
More detail on the ways that HIV is and is not transmitted. These have been mixed up so that
the students really have to think about each one.
Slide 7
How is HIV transmitted? - Hand raising activity
Ask your students: ‘How do you think HIV is passed on from person to person?’
Choose a few students to share their answers with their peers. Then take them through the
various scenarios one at a time – encourage them to share whether they think HIV is
transmitted in the following ways by raising their hands if they DO think it is.
Slide 8
Unprotected sex
Unprotected sex - either vaginal or anal, without a condom - is how the majority of people
become infected with HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
However, new research has proven that if you are taking HIV medication and have an
‘undetectable viral load’, you cannot pass on HIV. The viral load is the amount of HIV in a body
fluid – it is measured by a blood test. Antiretroviral treatment can bring the viral load down to
undetectable levels. This is one reason why early diagnosis is so important.
One of the following body fluids can contain enough HIV to infect someone if the person has a
detectable viral load and is not on antiretroviral treatment:
blood
semen
anal mucous
vaginal fluids
breast milk.
During sex, one of these body fluids can get from the body of someone infected with HIV into
another person’s body. This allows the virus to enter their bloodstream.
Another mode of transmission is when an object, such as a sex toy that has body fluids on it,
goes from inside one person and directly into another.
Slide 9
Kissing – There is no risk from casual social contact such as kissing, shaking hands or hugging.
The virus cannot get through unbroken skin and is not spread through saliva.
Slide 10
Toilet seats - HIV cannot be caught from toilet seats, swimming pools, showers, hot tubs or
towels. It is safe to share objects someone with HIV has touched or used to eat or drink from.
Slide 11
Intravenous drug use – This means injecting drugs into your body using a needle. If people
share needles, and one of them is HIV positive and not on treatment, then the chance of HIV
being transmitted is extremely high. This is because there is a direct route for the virus to get
from the bloodstream of the infected person to the bloodstream of the next person.
Slide 12
Tattoos
In the UK there are strict laws in place to ensure that you cannot contract HIV at a regulated
and licensed tattooist. New needles must be used for each customer and all equipment must be
sterilised between uses. However, these laws do not apply abroad and you are putting yourself
at risk by getting a tattoo at an unlicensed parlour or at one in another country. This is because
the needles may not be sterilised properly – potentially transferring the virus from the blood of
a previous customer.
Slide 13
From a mum to her baby
In the UK it is very unlikely that a woman with HIV (who is on treatment) will pass it on to her
baby. Pregnant women in the UK are all offered an HIV test. There are several interventions
which reduce the chances of an HIV positive pregnant woman passing HIV to her baby to less
than 1%:

The mother is given treatment which will reduce the risk of the baby contracting the
virus in the womb.

Women living with HIV who have a high amount of HIV in the blood (known as the viral
load) have a Caesarean section to reduce the risk of the baby contracting the virus
during birth.

The baby starts a month-long course of antiretroviral treatment soon after birth.

The baby should be bottle fed as HIV can be passed on through breast milk.
Women who are HIV positive who are not on treatment, for example in developing countries
where treatment is not readily available, are more likely to transmit HIV to their baby.
Slide 14
Oral Sex
Oral sex is very low risk for HIV transmission, however sometimes the virus is passed on in this
way. There are no exact figures on how risky it is, yet HIV does not find it easy to enter the
bloodstream through the relatively tough lining of the mouth or throat. Stomach acid will also
kill the virus if you were to swallow.
The risk from oral sex increases if you have:



A throat infection (including an STI such as chlamydia or gonorrhoea in the throat).
Damage to the lining of the mouth or throat.
Had recent dental work or your gums bleed a lot.
Avoid performing oral sex while you have any of the above. Do not floss or brush teeth before
oral sex (use gum or rub toothpaste on your teeth). Regular check-ups for STIs will pick up
infections in your throat.
A condom removes the small risk from oral sex with a man - flavoured ones taste better.
Unprotected anal and vaginal sex leads to far more HIV infections than are caused by oral sex.
Slide 15
1 min approx
HIV does not discriminate!
Show and explain to your students that anyone can be infected with HIV through different
means if the risk is present. It does not matter if you are white, black or Asian; boy, girl or
trans; straight, gay or bisexual; old or young.
If the risk is there it is their responsibility to prevent it.
Ask students how they can prevent the risk of HIV transmission? – (Answer on the next slide.)
Slide 16
Wear a condom!
Condoms are good at stopping HIV, especially if used properly - eg, with water-based lubricant,
picking the correct size and also placing them on correctly. Oil-based lube such as baby oil or
Vaseline weakens condoms, so do not use them.
Condoms do not provide 100% protection, however, they are the best form of protection
against HIV and STIs as well as from pregnancy – if used properly.
There are many different types of condoms to suit everyone. They come in different sizes,
textures and flavours. You can also get non-latex condoms (for latex allergy sufferers) as well
as thick or thin ones.
Slide 17 & 18
The Cambridge Dictionary defines stigma as:
‘A strong lack of respect for a person or a group of people or a bad opinion of them
because they have done something society does not approve of.’
People with HIV are often stigmatised – Ask your students: can you imagine being treated
unfairly because you have a health condition?
National AIDS Trust found that: ‘69% of people feel there is still a great deal of stigma in the
UK around HIV and one in three people living with HIV report having experienced
discrimination.’
The effects of HIV related stigma:
•
Stop people having an HIV test as they are scared of how they will be treated if they
have HIV.
•
Make people feel ashamed if they do have HIV.
•
Cause partners, family members or employers to be unsupportive of a loved one with
HIV.
Slide 19
Tell your students that the school will be fundraising for Terrence Higgins Trust and supporting
the vital work that we do to support people living with HIV.
Slide 20
Some of the young people may have questions about what you have discussed. If appropriate,
direct them to a designated teacher for any further information.
If they have any questions/concerns that they do not feel comfortable speaking to a teacher
about then they can contact Terrence Higgins Trust’s free, confidential helpline THT Direct on
0808 802 1221. It is available between 10am and 8pm from Monday to Friday. The number is
free to call from all UK landlines and most UK mobiles and will not appear on a telephone bill.
They can also visit our website: www.tht.org.uk which has a lot of information aimed at young
people.