It is important to stay properly hydrated to ensure that the body has enough fluid (liquid) to function properly. In the UK, it’s recommended we drink about 1.2 litres of fluids a day – that’s six to eight glasses. It is especially important to drink plenty of fluids if you are taking certain anti-HIV drugs, such as atazanavir and indinavir, to help the body process them properly and avoid side-effects.

If you have a fever, or have diarrhoea, then it is important to drink extra fluids. Similarly, if you are exercising, you should increase your water or other fluid intake.

You can take some of your daily fluids as fruit juice, squash diluted with still or fizzy water, tea or coffee. However, you should be aware that coffee, cola and, to a lesser extent, tea dehydrate the body, as does alcohol.

Tap water in the UK is safe to drink and there really aren't any special considerations about the UK's drinking water for people with a CD4 cell count above 200.

But if you have a very low CD4 cell count, a little more caution may be needed and it's a good idea to talk to your doctor or another member of your healthcare team about any special steps you may need to take to make sure you don't acquire an infection from your drinking water.