HIV / AIDS

HIV is a virus that breaks down the body's immune system, by taking healthy white blood cells (your bodies defenders against disease) and using them to replicate themselves (to make copies). A person who has conracted HIV is known as being HIV postive (HIV+). A person is said to have AIDS (Acquired-ImmunoDeficiency Syndrome), when their body becomes too weak to fight off illness. You do not "catch" AIDS, AIDS comes as a result of contracting Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). AIDS is a worsened, or more severe and advanced version of the HIV virus. You cannot have AIDS without having HIV.

FACT:

• It can take many years for HIV to develop into AIDS.
• A person can appear perfectly healthy, but have HIV. You cannot tell if a person has HIV by looking at them.
• 1 in 4 Americans who are HIV+ do not know it.
• The ONLY way to be sure whether you are HIV+ is to GET TESTED!
• AIDS prevent your body from fighting off simple infections and viruses...like the common cold.
• AIDS is fatal, that means it can kill you.
• HIV / AIDS have many treatments, but there is NO CURE.

How Do You Get HIV?

HIV is passes from person to person through bodily fluids.

Though HIV is present in ALL bodily fluids, only the following carry enough of the virus to transmit it:

Blood

Semen

Vaginal Discharge/Secretions

Breast Milk

HIV has not been proven to be transmittable through urine, feces, sweat, tears, saliva, vomit or mucus, but that does not mean it is not possible, just not probable.

• Any kind of sexual contact, including vaginal & anal intercourse,  and oral sex. You can get HIV the FIRST time you participate in any kind of sexual contact.
• Sharing needles. You can get HIV through drug use, if you are sharing needles with others. You can also get HIV from tattoos and body piercing, if the instruments used are not clean, or are multiple use instruments.
• Birth. You can get HIV from your mother before,during, and after childbirth, including breast feeding, if your mother is HIV+. You can give your child HIV during preganancy, childbirth and breast feeding if you are HIV+.
• Blood transfusions before 1985.
• Donor products.
• Injuries on the job.
• Sharing of "sex toys"

HIV is NOT transmitted through casual contact such as:

Hugging

Kissing (as long as there are not any cuts, lacerations or sores in the mouth that are bleeding)

Using public toilets

Sharing eatting utensils

pools

Coughing/Sneezing

Shaking hands

Should I Get Tested?

• If you have ever had any kind fo sexual contact, including vaginalintercourse, anal intercourse, oral sex, sharing or use of sex toys, or participated in "petting", you should be tested.
• If you have ever had any contact with IV drug use, tattoos or piercings, you should be tested.
• If you have recieved an organ donation or blood transfusion, you should be tested.
• If your mother was HIV+, you should be tested.

How and where can I get tested?

The CDC (Center for Disease Control) recommends that everyone be tested for HIV as part of their regular , yearly preventative care.

There is NO excuse for not knowing.

• Getting tested is easy and simple.
• It is quick. The testing takes very little time, anywhere from 2-5 minutes. You can get your results usually between 5-10 days.
• There are multiple kinds of tests, including a simple blood test and a mouth swab. If you are afraid of needles, that is no rason not to get tested. Most testing centers use a simple swab of the mouth with a q-tip.
• Testing centers are everywhere, so location is not a factor.
• Testing can be confidential, or anonymous, and you do not have to go to your family physician.
• Be sure to do a follow-up test 6 months after your initial test to be completely sure. HIV antibodies sometimes do not show up in the blood for 6 months after infection.

For More Info on HIV / AIDS Visit:

US Government Info on AIDS & HIV

The Center For Disease Control

AIDS / HIV Treatment

HIV Testing Centers