You Can Never Be Too Safe

I’ve heard it all. From “you can only contract HIV/AIDS from homosexuals” to “HIV/AIDS was originally transferred from monkeys to humans;” clearly these opinions are from the ignorant and misinformed. HIV must be transmitted through the bloodstream in order for someone to be infected. You can’t spread or obtain the virus through casual contact. However, the disease can be passed through blood, breast milk, semen, and vaginal fluids.

Did you know that over 33 million people worldwide are infected with HIV/AIDS and the disease is now proclaimed as a pandemic? Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, or AIDS, is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). HIV is a retrovirus that infects the vital organs of the human immune system, severely weakening your body’s ability to fight off infections. Currently, there is no cure for this life threatening disease but there are treatments available to reduce its impacts.  I’m sure by now you are wondering, how does one acquire this debilitating disease?

A few main ways for one to acquire HIV/AIDS include:

Sexual Transmission

Engaging in unprotected oral, vaginal, or anal sex with someone that has HIV is a main cause of contracting the disease. Women are more susceptible to contracting HIV than men due to hormonal changes and a higher risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases (STD’s increase the risk of obtaining the disease).

Exposure to Blood Borne Pathogens

HIV transmission can occur through the sharing of used intravenous needles. Common ways this can occur are through drug use, blood transfusions, tattoo application, and piercings. Blood transfusions consisting of infected blood account for 5-10% of the world’s HIV infections.

Parental Transmission

The transmission of HIV from a mother to her child occurs during the last few weeks of pregnancy, through “in utero” (in the uterus). Without treatment during pregnancy, a child has a 25% chance of acquiring the disease, as opposed to a 1% chance with treatment. HIV transmission can also occur through breastfeeding, in which there is a 4% chance of transmission.

For More Information Please Visit http://www.bcap.org/about_hiv_facts.html

By Taylor Stephan