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The billboard in northern Malawi reads: “This is a disease that destroys the human immune system. It is transmitted through sexual intercourse. The disease has no cure. It is up to us to prevent the disease, because it destroys and it kills."
Not necessarily: although penetrative sex is the most common way HIV infection is spread, there are other ways that do not involve sex at all. For example, some people have been infected through blood transfusions or through piercing or tattooing with unsterilized needles. You may also have been infected if you are, or used to be, an injecting drug user who has ever shared injecting equipment (though implying your partner might have become infected in this way could also upset them, especially if he or she is not open about these habits). Finally, though condoms are a very effective means of protection against HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, they are not 100-per-cent safe, because they occasionally break or slip off.For all these reasons, suggesting an HIV test does not necessarily demonstrate a lack of trust. In fact, it could be a way of sealing trust by showing that you and your partner care about each other and want to protect each other.