We have come a long way since the 1980s in our understanding of how HIV is contracted and spreads, but October is AIDS Awareness Month, which affords us an opportunity to check in and make sure we are all up to date on our knowledge and education surrounding this virus. HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus and is spread through contact with blood, semen, pre-seminal fluid, vaginal fluids, or breast milk from another individual infected with HIV. In the United States, HIV is spread largely through sex or sharing injection drug equipment, such as needles, with someone who has HIV. In the past, HIV could also be spread via a blood transfusion or organ transplant from an HIV-infected donor, but today there are many safeguards in place to prevent this from happening.
Once you have HIV, you have it for life – your immune system can’t get rid of it. HIV targets your T-cells or CD4 cells, which are critical to fighting infections and disease. HIV invades these cells, uses them to make more copies of itself, and then destroys them. Over time, HIV destroys so many of your cells that you can no longer fight off infection or disease and can lead to AIDS, the final stage of HIV infection. AIDS stands for Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome.
HIV medications can reduce the amount of HIV in your body, but they cannot cure your HIV infection. HIV cannot be contracted from shaking hands, hugging, or closed-mouth kissing, from doorknobs, toilet seats, or dishes. Below are the best ways to reduce your risk of getting HIV:
Get tested and know your partner’s HIV status. Get tested before you have sex;
Use a condom every time you have vaginal, anal or oral sex;
Have less risky sex. Oral sex is less risky than anal or vaginal sex. Anal sex is the most risky sex for the spread of HIV;
Limit your number of sexual partners and also get tested for STDs. Having an STD can increase your risk of becoming infected with HIV;
Don’t inject drugs, and if you do, use only sterile drug injection equipment and water and don’t share your equipment with others.
The answer to our health and our future is education. Knowledge is power! Share what you know with others.
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