AIDSpeak
"Unless young
men reduce the number of partners they have, and protect themselves and their partners by
using condoms more consistently, we will face another wave of suffering and death from
H.I.V. and AIDS."--Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, New York City Health Commissioner, on
the recent surge of HIV infections in men under 30. The New York Times, City Room
Blog, September 11, 2007.
 While it's almost certain that you've heard
quite a bit about Aids in the past several years, it's still possible that you don't have
a full understanding of the term HIV. HIV and AIDS are closely related, and if you
understand HIV infection, you can better understand AIDS.
What is Aids?
AIDS is caused by HIV
Will you get Aids if you are infected with HIV?
How can you become infected with HIV?
You can get HIV from sexual intercourse.
You can get HIV from sharing needles.
Blood Transfusions and HIV.
How you cannot get HIV.
Who is really at risk for HIV infection?
What about the HIV test?
Astroglide fights HIV in lab tests.
What
is Aids?
AIDS stands for acquired
immunodeficiency syndrome, a disease in which the body's immune system breaks down.
Normally, the immune system fights off infections and certain other diseases. When the
system fails, a person with AIDS can develop a variety of life-threatening illnesses.
AIDS is caused by HIV
AIDS is
caused by a virus called the human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV. A virus is one
of the smallest "germs" that can cause disease. If you have unprotected sex
(sexual intercourse without the consistent and correct use of condoms
or share needles or syringes with an infected person, you may become infected with HIV.
Specific blood tests can show evidence of HIV infection. You can be infected with HIV and
have no symptoms at all. You might feel perfectly healthy, but if you're infected, you can
pass the virus to anyone with whom you have unprotected sex or share needles or syringes.
Will you get Aids if you are infected with HIV?
About half of
the people infected with HIV develop AIDS within 10 years, but the time between infection
with HIV and the onset of AIDS can vary greatly. The severity of the HIV-related illness
or illnesses will differ from person to person, according to many factors, including the
overall health of the individual.
Today there are
promising medical treatments that can postpone many of the illnesses associated with AIDS.
This is a step in the right direction, and scientists are becoming optimistic that HIV
infection will someday be controllable. In the meantime, people who get medical care to
monitor and treat their HIV infection can carry on with their lives, including their jobs,
for longer than ever before.
How can you become infected with HIV?
- Having unprotected
sexual intercourse - anal, vaginal, or oral - with an infected person.
- Sharing drug needles
or syringes with an infected person.
Also, women infected
with HIV can pass the virus to their babies during pregnancy or during birth. They can
also pass it on when breast-feeding. Some people have become infected by receiving blood
transfusions. Since 1985, however, when careful screening and laboratory testing of all
blood donations began, this possibility has been greatly reduced.
You cannot be
infected by giving blood at a blood bank.
You can get HIV from sexual intercourse.
HIV can
be spread through sexual intercourse, from male to male, male to female, female to male,
and from female to female.
HIV is sexually
transmitted, and HIV is not the only infection that is passed through intimate sexual
contact. Other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), such as gonorrhea, syphilis, herpes,
and chlamydia, can also be contracted through anal, vaginal, and oral intercourse. If you
have on of these STDs and engage in sexual behaviors that can transmit HIV, you are at
greater risk of getting infected with HIV.
HIV may be in an
infected person's blood, semen, or vaginal secretions. HIV can enter the body through cuts
or sores in the skin. HIV can also enter the body through the moist lining of the vagina,
penis, rectum, or even the mouth, in which case cuts and sores in these areas greatly
increase the risk of infection. Some of these cuts or sores are so small you may not even
know they're there. Anal intercourse with an infected person is one of the ways HIV has
been most frequently transmitted. Other forms of sexual intercourse, including oral sex,
can spread it as well. During oral sex, a person who takes semen, blood, or vaginal
secretions into their mouth is at risk of becoming infected.
Many infected people
have no symptoms and have not been tested. If you have unprotected sex with one of them,
you put yourself in danger. Also, the more sex partners you have, the greater your chances
of encountering one or more who are infected and of becoming infected yourself. The only
sure way to avoid infection through sex is to abstain from sexual intercourse or engage in
sexual intercourse only with someone who is not infected and only has sex with you. Latex condoms have been shown to prevent HIV infection and other
sexually transmitted diseases. But you have to use condoms correctly every time you have
sex - vaginal, anal, or oral. condoms made of plastics such as polyurethane
should also be highly effective. condoms made of lambskin, however, do not offer good
protection.
You can get HIV from sharing needles.
Sharing
needles or syringes with an infected person, even once, is very risky. Many people have
become infected with HIV and other germs this way. HIV from an infected person can remain
in a needle or syringe and then be injected directly into the body of the next person who
uses it. Sharing needles to inject drugs is the most dangerous form of needle sharing.
Sharing needles for
other purposes may also transmit HIV and other germs. These types of needles include those
used to inject steroids or vitamins and those used for tattooing or ear-piercing.
If you plan to have
your ears pierced or get a tattoo, make sure you go to a qualified person who uses
brand-new or sterile equipment. Don't be shy about asking questions. Responsible
technicians will explain the safety measures they follow.
A woman infected
with HIV can pass the virus on to her baby during pregnancy, while giving birth, or when
breast-feeding. If a woman is infected before or during pregnancy, without medical
treatment her child has about one chance in four of being born with HIV infection. Medical
treatment with AZT during pregnancy and labor may reduce the risk of infecting the baby to
about 1 in 12. There must be no breast-feeding by the infected mother and the baby must be
given AZT for the first several weeks of life. Even then, the risk of infecting the child
cannot be totally eliminated.
Any woman who is
considering having a baby and who thinks she might have done something that could have
caused her to become infected with HIV - even if this occurred years ago - should seek
counseling and testing for HIV infection to help her make an informed choice about
becoming pregnant. To fink out where to go in your area for counseling and testing, call
your local health department or the CDC National AIDS Hotline (1-800-342-AIDS).
Blood Transfusions and HIV.
In the past some
people became infected with HIV from receiving blood transfusions. This risk has been
practically eliminated. since a 1983 Public Health Service recommendation, potential blood
donors at risk of HIV infection have been asked not to donate blood. Since 1985 all
donated blood has been tested for evidence of HIV. All blood found to contain evidence of
HIV infection is discarded. Currently in the United States, there is only a very small
chance of infection with HIV through a blood transfusion.
You cannot get HIV
from giving blood at a blood bank or other blood collection center. the needles used for
blood donations are sterile. They are used once, then destroyed.
How you cannot get HIV.
HIV
infection doesn't "just happen." You can't "catch" it like a cold or
flu. Unlike cold or flu viruses, HIV is not spread by coughs or sneezes. Again, you get
HIV by coming in contact with infected blood, semen, or vaginal fluids from another
person.
- You won't get HIV
through everyday contact with infected people at school, work, home, or anywhere else.
- You won't get HIV
from clothes, drinking fountains, phones, or toilet seats. It isn't passed on by things
like forks, cups or other objects that someone who is infected with the virus has used.
- You won't get HIV
from eating food prepared by an infected person.
- You won't get HIV
from a mosquito bite. HIV does not live in a mosquito, and it is not transmitted through a
mosquito's bite like other germs, such as the ones that cause malaria. You won't get it
from bedbugs, lice, flies, or other insects, either.
- You won't get HIV
from contact with sweat, saliva, or tears.
- You won't get HIV
from a simple kiss. Most scientists agree that although transmission of HIV through deep
or prolonged kissing may be possible because of potential blood contact, it would be
unlikely.
Who is really at risk for HIV infection?
There
is evidence that HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, has been in the United States at least
since 1978. The following are known risk factors for HIV You may be at increased risk of
infection if any of the following have applied to you since 1978.
- Have you shared
needles or syringes to inject drugs or steroids?
- If you are a male,
have you had unprotected sex with other males?
- Have you had
unprotected sex with someone who you believe may have been infected with HIV?
- Have you had a
sexually transmitted disease (STD)?
- Have you received
blood transfusions or blood clotting factor between 1978 and 1985?
- Have you had
unprotected sex with someone who would answer yes to any of the above questions?
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you should
discuss your need for testing with a trained counselor. If you are a woman in any of the
above categories and you
plan to become pregnant, counseling and testing are even more important.
If you have had
unprotected sex with someone and you didn't know their risk behavior, or you have had many
sex partners in the last ten years, then you have increased the chances that you might be
HIV-infected.
What about
the HIV test?
The
only way to tell if the have been infected with HIV is by taking an HIV-antibody blood
test. This test should be done through a testing site, doctor's office, or clinic familiar
with the test. It is important that you discuss what the test may mean with a qualified
health professional, both before and after the test is done.
You can receive free
publications from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. To receive brochures, or
to ask any questions about HIV infection or AIDS, call the CDC National AIDS Hotline at
1-800-342-AIDS (Spanish: 1-800-344-7432; deaf access: 1-800-243-7889 [TTY]). The Hotline
is staffed with information specialists who can offer a wide variety of written materials
or answer your questions about HIV infection and AIDS in a prompt, confidential manner.
There are also local groups that can help you find the information you need. Contact your
State or local health department, AIDS service organization, or other community-based
organization dealing with HIV and AIDS. The CDC National AIDS Hotline can tell you how to
contact all of these.
**Aids
Information provided by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. |
