THE FACTS ABOUT HIV/AIDS

What are HIV/AIDS?
HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus that invades the immune system and destroys it over time. The destruction of the immune system reduces a person’s ability to fight off infections and cancer. The majority of people infected with HIV eventually develop AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome), which is often fatal.

How many people have HIV/AIDS?
The Center for Disease Control estimates that there are currently 800,000 to 900,000 Americans living with HIV infection. About a fourth of these people don’t know they are infected. Approximately 320,000 Americans currently have AIDS, and almost half a million Americans have died from AIDS since the beginning of the epidemic.

How does someone get HIV?
Exposure to infected blood or other body fluids is required for HIV transmission to occur; the highest HIV concentrations are in blood, semen and vaginal secretions. Intravenous drug users and men who have sex with men are at the highest risk for HIV, followed by those who have sex with multiple partners.

People who have untreated sexually transmitted diseases (particularly those that cause sores—such as syphilis) have an increased risk of acquiring HIV infection. HIV is not transmitted through the type of casual contact that occurs in the workplace.

What are the symptoms?
Infected individuals may have short-lived, flu-like symptoms (fatigue, fever, aches). Others have no symptoms with the initial infection or for many years thereafter. AIDS typically appears about 10 years after the initial HIV infection (although new therapies may further delay the development of AIDS).

How does someone find out s(he) has HIV?
Blood tests are available to diagnose HIV infections. When a person is first infected with HIV, a few months (1-6) may need to go by before the blood tests become positive.

How is HIV treated?
A complex regimen of medicine can prolong the lives of those infected with HIV for many years. These drugs are expensive, often have considerable side effects and great care must be taken to take them consistently. Though a great deal of energy and financial resources have been devoted to finding an effective vaccine, these efforts have yet to prove successful.

What are some of the long-term effects of HIV/AIDS?
HIV usually develops into AIDS, which is often painful and deadly. More than a dozen “opportunistic” infections (ie, infections that are fought off by normal immune systems) and several types of cancer are common in AIDS patients. These infections include tuberculosis, pneumocystis pneumonia, certain types of fungal and yeast infections, and persistent and unusual intestinal infections. Common cancers include lymphomas and Kaposi’s sarcoma.

Due to the severe nature of HIV, people with HIV infections should seriously consider abstaining from future sexual activity, as it poses a considerable risk to any uninfected partner. Because HIV can be passed from a mother to child, it is important for every pregnant woman and her doctor to know the woman’s HIV status. Prompt treatment of the mother and newborn significantly decreases the infant’s risk of HIV infection.

Are teens safe if they consistently use a condom or switch to oral sex?
Using condoms exactly as directed every time teens have sex can reduce their risk of getting HIV by about 85 percent. However, this still leaves a significant chance of getting a deadly disease. It is also possible for HIV to be passed during oral sex.

How can teens avoid getting HIV?
Teens must avoid shooting drugs. If they haven't had sex and don't shoot drugs, their chances of getting HIV/AIDS are remote.

Abstinence from sexual activity - including oral sex - or lifetime faithfulness to one uninfected partner is the only certain way for your teen to avoid being infected sexually. If your teen has already been sexually active, he or she needs to be tested for STDs.

Learn about other common STDs...

Information adapted from The Medical Institute for Sexual Health web site.
www.medinstitute.org