AIDS and HIV

Have you heard scary things about how people get AIDS? Are you worried that you might be one of those people?

 

We’ll give you the facts so that you can protect yourself against AIDS. So listen carefully and follow this advice in order to stay safe.

AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, a disease caused by a virus called HIV.

This virus can enter a person’s body in three ways. One way is through being born to a mother who has the virus in her blood. The second way is by blood to blood contact, such as through injecting drugs by using a needle that has already been used by someone who has the virus. The third way is by having sex with someone who has the virus. This means having vaginal intercourse (that is, someone’s penis in someone’s vagina), or anal intercourse (meaning someone’s penis in someone else’s anus).

Regardless of how someone gets infected with the virus, the average time between infection and the development of full-blown AIDS is 10 years or longer. The only sure way to protect oneself from getting AIDS is through abstinence, that is not having sex with another person, and not sharing needles.

Once the virus is in the body, it goes into the white blood cells and other parts of the body. The white blood cells help a person fight off diseases. The HIV virus can live in the white blood cells for months or years before it begins to do damage. A person can be infected with the virus, have no symptoms, and not even know he or she is infected. Although it may take years before a person becomes sick, the virus can be found in the blood through a blood test just a few months after infection. Because a person’s white blood cells eventually are destroyed, he or she is no longer protected from a variety of illnesses such as cancers and infections which are very uncommon in healthy people.

It is important for young women to know that if they carry the HIV virus, there is a good chance that they will infect their babies during pregnancy or childbirth.

It is estimated that between one and one and a half million people in the United States are infected with the HIV virus but so far haven’t developed any illness. The number of AIDS cases is increasing, and so far, there is no cure.

Is it possible to protect oneself from getting AIDS? Yes, AIDS is preventable. Abstinence, that is not having sex with another person, is the only sure way not to get infected. This means not having sex with anyone, whether it is vaginal, oral or anal sex. It doesn’t matter if the person is a man or women. Even if this person doesn’t have any symptoms, he or she may carry the HIV virus. Having sex even just one time with an infected person can give you the disease. If young people are thinking of having sex, they should ask themselves if it is worth the risk. Are there other ways that they and their boyfriend or girlfriend can express affection and sexual feelings? They should talk together about this honestly. If one’s partner really cares, he or she will respect what one has to say.

If a person is sexually active, there are some things he or she should do to decrease the chances of becoming infected with the HIV virus. The fewer sexual partners a person has, the less likely he or she will get HIV. Do not have sex with someone who has ever used a needle to inject drugs or who has had many sexual partners. Of course, a sexual partner may not tell you what they have done in the past or what they are doing now secretly, so this may not be a very reliable way to choose one’s partner.

People who have vaginal, anal and oral sex should always use a condom every time they have sex and from the beginning to the end of sexual activity. Remember, it is easier to say “I’m worried about AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases and want to use a condom” than it is to worry about AIDS or Sexual Transmitted Diseases for the rest of your life. Remember, condoms do break and infection can occur because of this, so the only sure way to be safe is to practice abstinence.

People who do drugs should not share needles. It is also important not to share needles when making tattoos. Although it is still extremely risky, people who do share needles should clean them in bleach between users.

Anyone who thinks they might be infected with the HIV virus should consider getting a blood test to check for antibodies to the virus. Anyone who has the virus can spread the infection to others. As treatment for AIDS improves, early diagnosis and medical care can help an infected person live longer and healthier, even if there is still no cure.

This may all sound pretty scary, but there are many ways a person CAN’T get AIDS. Here are a few:

• One can’t get AIDS from people who have the virus by touching them, using their towels, sitting on toilet seats they have just used, or by being sneezed upon. You can’t get it by sitting next to them in class or by swimming in the same pool as them. Sexual contact, sharing needles or sharing infected blood are the only ways a teenager can get AIDS from an AIDS-infected person.
• One can’t get AIDS from being a blood donor-that is, from giving blood for others to use. When blood is donated, sterile, disposable needles are always used.

And remember, if you know someone who has AIDS, don’t avoid that person. He or she can’t give you the disease through casual contact. But you can give that person the friendship and understanding that will make it easier for them to deal with the disease.

If you want more information on being tested or on services being offered in Broward please contact 2-1-1 Broward, by dialing 2-1-1 or 954-567-8336 (TEEN). We are here to listen and provide support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

 

Teen Tapes is produced by the University of Wisconsin, Madison.