HIV+and+AIDS

**What is HIV/AIDS?**

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 * Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a human disease that destroys the immune system, weakening the body’s ability to defend itself from infection and disease.
 * [[image:T_Cell_Infected_with_HIV.jpg width="159" height="144" align="right" caption="T-cell infected with HIV"]]This is caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and AIDS leaves an infected person vulnerable to opportunistic infections.
 * Such infections are harmless in healthy people, but in those whose immune systems have been greatly weakened, they can prove fatal.
 * Although there is no cure for AIDS, new drugs are available that can extend the life spans and improve the quality of life of infected people.
 * You do not die from HIV/AIDS but simply from a cold or the flue or some easy sicknesses.

**What is the difference between HIV and AIDS? **
 * HIV is a virus that a person can get which destroys T-cells in the immune system.
 * AIDS is a disease you can possibly get from HIV when the immune system is very weak and vulnerable.
 * HIV does not necessarily mean that a person has AIDS. Some people who have HIV infection may not develop the disease of AIDS for ten years or more. Physicians prefer to use the term AIDS for cases where a person has reached the final, life-threatening stage of HIV infection.

**How does AIDS spread? **
 * There are three primary ways in which AIDS spread:
 * Unprotected sexual contact (without using condoms)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">Direct blood contact, including injection drug needles, blood transfusions, accidents in health care settings or certain blood products
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">Mother to baby (before or during birth, or through breast milk)

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(247, 91, 85)">**What are some ways in Which HIV is NOT transmitted?** <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">**<span style="color: rgb(247, 91, 85)">How do we prevent AIDS? ** <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">Insect bites: <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">[[image:21.jpg width="144" height="104" align="right"]] <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">HIV is NOT transmitted by mosquitoes, flies, ticks, fl <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">eas, be <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">es, o <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">r wasps. If a <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">bloodsucking insect bites someone with <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> HIV, the virus dies almost instantly in the insect's stomach (as it digests the blood). HIV can <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> only live in human cells**.** <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">  <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">  <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">   Casual contact/sharing dishes or food:<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">   <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">   <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">   <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">  <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">   <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">   <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">   <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> HIV is not transmitted through casual, daily contact. Since HIV is not transmitted by saliva,   <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">   <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> it   <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">   <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> is   <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">   <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">   <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">   <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> impossible   <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> to g   <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">   <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> et it   <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">   <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> through sharing a glass, a fork,   <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">   <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> a   <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">   <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">   <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> sandwich, or   <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">   <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> fruit.   <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">   <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">   <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">   <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">Other ways in which you NOT transmit HIV: <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">  <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">   <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">   <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">Donating blood, swimming pools, and hot tubs, pets and animals, contact with <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">  <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> saliva, tears, sweat, or <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">   <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> urine.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">Protective sex (i.e. wearing a condom when having sex) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">vaginal sex
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">anal sex
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">oral sex (very low risk)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">Not sharing needles <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">Masturbation
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">Abstention (non-participation) from sex

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