Living with AIDS is like living with any other chronic disease. Sometimes a person with AIDS suffers from infections and feels sick. At other times, a person may feel fine and participate in normal activities.

How does someone get HIV infection?

HIV infection is spread through the blood and other body fluids (primarily semen, vaginal secretions, and breast milk) of infected individuals. It can be transmitted through:

Sexual contact (primarily unprotected vaginal or anal intercourse). Transmission through oral sex can occur, but the risk is much lower.
Blood and other body fluids, by:
Sharing needles, IV drugs, and drug paraphernalia
Receiving transfusions of infected blood or blood products and/or transplant of an infected organ
Using contaminated skin-piercing instruments (needles, syringes, razor blades, tattoo needles, or circumcision instruments)
Becoming injured from contaminated needles or other sharp objects
Getting splashed with infected blood or other body fluids onto mucous membranes (such as eyes)
Perinatal modes (passed from mother to infant during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding)

Ordinary social or casual contact
Shared clothing
Touching
Shared food, dishes, or eating utensils
Dry kissing
Hugging
Shaking hands
Toilet seats
Insect bites
Massaging another person
Sexually stimulating a partner using your hand (Although a risk may exist if blood, semen, or vaginal fluids come in contact with broken skin.)
Masturbation
Tears, saliva, sweat
Living or working with an HIV-infected person

Engaging in unsafe sex
Having sex with more than one partner or with a partner who has or has had more than one partner or who uses or has used IV drugs
Sharing needles, IV drugs, and drug paraphernalia
Receiving a blood transfusion or treatment with contaminated blood or blood products
Getting a tattoo or piercing with contaminated equipment and supplies
Having a job (such as a health care worker) that exposes one to blood or other body fluids

How can you protect yourself from getting HIV infection?

Your chance of becoming infected with HIV can be reduced by avoiding high-risk behaviors. Abstinence is the only sure way to prevent getting HIV through sex. Your risk of HIV infection from sex is low if you have been in a long-term monogamous relationship with an uninfected person. The best way to prevent HIV infection is to abstain from unsafe sexual and drug using practices.
To reduce your risk:

Use latex or polyurethane condoms during every act of sex
Use male or female condoms along with your chosen contraceptive
Limit the number of your sex partners
Avoid sharing needles, IV drugs, and drug paraphernalia
Avoid having sex with partners who have risky behaviors
Avoid using skin-piercing instruments that have not been disinfected

What are some symptoms of HIV infection and AIDS?

Persons infected with HIV infection may not have any symptoms. It can take 10 years or more between initial HIV infection and the diagnosis of AIDS. Now, with advances in treatment, this time lag may even be lengthened further. Once symptoms begin to develop, they may include:

An unexplained loss of weight lasting at least one month
Diarrhea for several weeks or more
A white coating on the tongue
Enlarged or sore glands in the neck, armpit, and/or other parts of the body
A cough that persists for more than one month
Persistent fever and/or nightsweats
Persistent vaginal yeast infections

Can infection with HIV lead to other health problems?

HIV weakens the immune system, making a person infected with HIV susceptible to many infections that the body is normally able to fight off. These are often referred to as opportunistic infections or AIDS-defining illnesses. Many conditions may be especially severe, difficult to treat, and recurrent in individuals with HIV infection.

What is the impact of HIV infection on pregnancy?

Babies born to mothers with HIV infection can contract the HIV virus during pregnancy, labor, delivery, and breastfeeding. About 20% of the newborns of untreated mothers in the United States will get HIV infection; percentages of transmission are higher in some parts of the world. It should be noted that all infants born to women who are HIV positive will test positive for HIV at birth because of the presence of the mother's antibodies in their blood. Antibody testing after the age of 18 months can more accurately determine infection.

There are now some treatment options (HIV antiviral drugs) that can greatly reduce the rate of transmission of HIV from mother to child. If you are a pregnant woman infected with HIV, you should talk to your health care provider about options for preventing transmission.

Because the HIV virus can also be transmitted through breast milk, HIV-positive mothers are advised not to breastfeed their newborns. However, in areas of the world where infant and childhood infections are common and can be fatal, the risk of HIV transmission must be weighed against the risks associated with not breastfeeding.

How is HIV infection diagnosed?

There are blood tests to determine if a person is infected with HIV. Diagnosis of HIV infection is made by detection of antibodies to HIV on the same blood sample by a test called an ELISA and confirmation by another test—the Western Blot. Because these tests look for antibodies rather than the actual virus, it is possible that during the time between when infection occurs and when antibody levels are high enough to be detected, an HIV test will be negative even if the person is actually infected with HIV. This "window period" varies from one person to the next. Therefore, persons who think that they might be infected should wait 2-6 months since their last possible exposure before getting tested.

There are other blood tests that can look for the actual presence and amount of virus in the blood. However, these tests are very expensive and are used primarily in treatment decisions for persons already known to be HIV-infected.

Counseling before and after testing is an integral part of the HIV testing procedures. During counseling, vital information is made available that can help those who test positive prevent subsequent transmission to their partner(s), prevent acquiring other STIs, identify links to social and health resources, and receive guidance for maintaining health. For those who test negative, counseling information can be critical in helping to prevent infection. Testing can make a critical difference in the lives of those who test positive, as knowing they have HIV empowers them to take appropriate aciton in planning their lives and in getting the services they need.

Is there a treatment or cure for HIV infection or AIDS?

Currently, there is no cure for HIV infection or AIDS. However, with the combined use of new antiviral drugs (known as combination therapy) as well as drugs to prevent opportunistic infections, many people with HIV infection and AIDS have extended and improved the quality of their lives and delayed the progression of HIV infection to AIDS. These drugs can cause a number of side effects that may require that a person switch to other drugs or stop taking them. In addition, combination therapy requires taking a large number of pills on a complicated schedule. These drugs are also very costly and unavailable to many people in industrialized countries as well as in many parts of the world, where the majority of individuals with HIV infection and AIDS live.

Here are some other pages that might help you:

Condoms Guide
         Types of Condoms
         How To Use Condoms
         Myths About Condoms
         Female Condoms
Lubricant Resource Guide
         Lubricant Guide
Sexual Health Guide
         Sexual Health
         Chlamydia
         Gonorrhea
         HIV Infection / AIDS
         Hepatitis B
         Hepatitis C
         Herpes
         Human Papillomavirus (Genital Warts)
         Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)
         Syphilis
         Trichomoniasis