HIV/AIDS

Overview

Human immunological disorder virus (HIV) is that the virus that causes nonheritable immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). AIDS is a disease that attacks the body’s immune system. The immune system is our body’s natural defense system and allows us to fight off viruses, bacteria and other diseases.

HIV was first reported as a threat by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 1981 and now is a worldwide problem. When HIV was discovered, it had been diagnosed virtually entirely in men. Now, one in four folks living with HIV square measure girls.

The good news is that HIV is much more manageable than in the past. Originally, HIV was practically a death sentence. Few medicine were accessible to treat the virus, and ensuing infections attacked the weakened system. Since then, variety of medication are developed and approved to treat each HIV and its connected infections. These medications have extended the lives of the many folks living with the illness.

But the medicine wont to manage HIV actually are not excellent. And they come with side effects that range from nausea and vomiting to life-threatening reactions. Therefore, all people—men, women, teenagers and even people over 50—need to be careful about protecting themselves from being infected with the virus in the first place.

HIV differs from most different viruses as a result of antibodies made by the system cannot kill HIV. Once someone is infected, HIV remains in the blood forever. In a person who isn’t treated, the virus eventually weakens the immune system to where it can no longer protect the body from infections. This internal battle will last ten years or a lot of. Infections such as Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP), Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) and cytomegalovirus (CMV) can take over in the late stages of AIDS. In addition, patients with HIV face an increased risk of contracting certain cancers and neurological disorders.

Since the beginning of the AIDS epidemic in the mid-1980s, HIV infections among U.S. women have increased, especially in women of color. In 1985, solely atiny low proportion of individuals living with AIDS were feminine. Today, women make up 24 percent. The good news is that infections among U.S. women began decreasing in 2001.

Even though the speed of identification for African yank girls has bated considerably since 2001, it remains twenty times the speed for white girls. African-American women represent about 13 percent to 14 percent of all U.S. women and, yet, account for sixty four % of AIDS cases in girls. Hispanic girls, who represent about 17 percent of U.S. women, structure fifteen % of girls with AIDS. White girls, who represent about 80 percent of U.S. women, account for under eighteen % of AIDS patients.

The higher infection rate for ladies of color is also thanks to multiple factors including: lack of HIV data, lower perception of risk, drug or alcohol use, and different interpretations of safer sex, according to the CDC.

The death rate thanks to HIV/AIDS is additionally higher in girls of color. According to the authority, deaths due to HIV infection were among the top 10 leading causes of death for African-American females aged 10 to 54 and Hispanic/Latina females aged 15 to 54.

Thanks to new antiretroviral medicine, HIV has turned from a terminal illness into one that can be managed over decades in many cases, much like diabetes or high blood pressure. But the antiretroviral drugs do have potentially serious side effects.

Although the number of AIDS infections in this country has remained fairly constant at around 50,000 cases a year, there are more people living with HIV than ever before. In 2010, the most recent year for which prevalence data are available, there were about 1.1 million U.S. adults and adolescents living with HIV infection, and virtually one in 5 square measure unaware of their infection..

At constant time, relaxed attitudes concerning exploitation barrier protection has health officers upset. New studies have known heavy will increase in HIV infection among young gay men and bad adolescents. Health officers believe this could be attributable to over-optimism concerning HIV treatment.

This relaxed attitude toward prevention has led to an upswing in AIDS cases in this younger age group over the past few years. According to the CDC, young people aged 13 to 29 made up 39 percent of all new HIV infections in 2009. There was Associate in Nursing calculable twenty one % increase in HIV incidence in individuals aged thirteen to twenty nine between 2006 and 2009, driven in part by a 34 percent increase in HIV infection in young men having sex with men.

HIV is transmitted through the blood, semen and vaginal secretions of an infected person. Here square measure the vital facts concerning however HIV is transmitted:

• The virus is mainly spread by unprotected sex and sharing needles with an HIV-infected person.
• Babies born to HIV-infected women may become infected before or during birth, or shortly after birth through breast-feeding if preventive measures aren’t taken.
• You cannot become infected with HIV through casual contact or insect bites or stings.
• Only a few cases of HIV have been transmitted in household settings. They are believed to have occurred when infected blood or other body fluids came in contact with skin or mucous membranes.
• Casual contact through closed-mouth or “social” petting isn’t a risk issue for transmission of HIV. However, specialists advocate against “French” or open-mouthed petting with Associate in Nursing infected person attributable to the redoubled risk of contact with blood-contaminated secretions.
• The presence of oral or genital sores from other sexually transmitted diseases (such as herpes or syphilis) increases the risk of sexual transmission of HIV.
• The risk of acquiring HIV from an infected health care professional is extremely low.
• Female-to-female transmission of HIV appears to be low. However, case reports of female-to-female transmission of HIV indicate that epithelial duct secretions and menstrual flow square measure doubtless infectious which membrane (e.g., oral, vaginal) exposure to those secretions has the potential to lead to HIV infection.
• HIV is at least four times more transmissible to women than to men.

Diagnosis

Many people report no symptoms once they square measure 1st infected. That is why it is important to ask your health care provider about testing if you have risk factors, such as:

• Having unprotected sex with multiple partners
• Sharing needles with an HIV-infected person
• Having unprotected sex with bisexual men or men who inject drugs
• Having other sexually transmitted diseases, such as herpes, syphilis or gonorrhea.

Some individuals do have initial symptoms, referred to as acute retroviral syndrome or primary HIV infection. The symptoms are similar to those of mononucleosis—such as fever, fatigue, joint ache, headache and sore throat—and last for one to three weeks. When primary HIV infection is recognized, starting treatment at this point may help control progression of infection down the road.

There area unit many forms of tests obtainable to check for the presence of HIV antibodies. The first tests were introduced in 1985 to screen donated blood. Now they are also used to evaluate people at risk of HIV infection. The two standard HIV tests are the enzyme immunoassay (EIA), also known as ELISA, and the Western blot (WB).
The EIA/ELISA detects antibodies produced in response to HIV infection. The test can be done using blood, oral fluids or urine, though the urine test is less accurate. If this test is positive, the same test is repeated. If the repeat take a look at conjointly reveals HIV antibodies, it is followed up with the Western blot test, which checks for the presence of HIV proteins. Confirmation with the Western blot is vital as a result of some folks have non-HIV antibodies that may cause a false positive result on the EIA take a look at. The downside of these tests is that they can take up to two weeks to get the results.

That’s why the Food and Drug Administration has approved many fast tests, all of which give results within 20 minutes. These tests verify blood, plasma or spit to visualize for the presence of HIV. Similar to EIA screening tests, these rapid tests must be confirmed with a follow-up confirmatory test before a final HIV diagnosis is made. Rapid tests area unit similar in accuracy to ancient EIA tests.

The FDA has also approved a few over-the-counter HIV tests that are available in many drugstores and can be performed in your home. One of these tests, OraQuick, uses saliva. The rest use blood obtained with a lancet and placed on a filter strip. The sample is mailed in a protected envelope using an anonymous code. You receive test results by making a toll-free call. If the result is negative, you will hear a prerecorded message; if it is positive, you will receive counseling and be referred to a health care professional.

RNA tests are obtainable that search for genetic material of the HIV virus. These tests is wont to screen the blood offer and to observe rare instances of terribly early infection, once protein tests don’t seem to be nonetheless ready to observe HIV.

• It is available even for many HIV-infected persons who don’t have symptoms yet.
• It can delay progression to AIDS and prolong life.
• It changes all the time, making it critical to remain current with the latest findings.

That’s why it’s important that you find an HIV specialist to care for you. Given the speed with which the field changes, many general practice physicians cannot keep up with the latest treatment advances. Being HIV-positive, you may also face unique psychological and social challenges, such as whom to notify, how to handle your feelings, when to start treatment and where to find financial assistance. These are issues that AIDS specialists are familiar with.

An AIDS specialist, typically an infectious disease doctor, will also know the unique ways in which HIV infection impacts a woman’s health. For example, HIV-infected women are more likely to experience certain gynecological disorders than HIV-negative women and are much more likely to have abnormal Pap smears. Consequently, HIV-positive women should have a Pap test twice within the first year after their initial HIV diagnosis. If both Pap tests are normal, they can then resume annual Pap tests.

The overall goal of HIV/AIDS treatment is to cut back the number of virus within the blood to level therefore low it can’t be detected. Indeed, having “undetectable” virus has become the benchmark for measure a prosperous medical aid plan. An undetectable virus does not, however, mean that you’re cured or that the virus is completely out of your body.

Another have the benefit of HIV treatment is its potential to stop the intense opportunist infections that build AIDS a debilitative condition.

With the advent of a class of drugs called protease inhibitors in the mid 1990s, a new model was introduced for treating HIV infection. These powerful drugs used in different combinations have allowed patients once disabled by AIDS to return to work and remain free from serious symptoms. This model uses a mix of a minimum of 3 medicine from 2 or additional categories, known as combination medical care, or a “drug cocktail.”

Prior to these powerful medicine, the first treatment was Retrovir, known as AZT. Patients usually responded to AZT for a little while, but became sick again once the virus mutated and could survive the drug’s effects. These mutations conjointly occur with alternative medicine wont to treat HIV.

Drug medical care with peptidase|enzyme} inhibitors works to interrupt HIV replication by busybodied with Associate in Nursing enzyme called HIV peptidase. By keeping the virus in check, the drugs can delay the gradual weakening of the immune system.

Additionally, treatment may reduce the chance that an infected person will transmit the virus; if they’re effective, the drugs not only reduce the amount of virus in the blood but in bodily fluids, as well.

Finally, those that begin early treatment with powerful drug mixtures will delay symptoms of infection longer than those not receiving treatment.

So, when should antiretroviral treatment be initiated for an HIV-infected patient? The latest thinking within the health profession is that, in most cases, treatment ought to be started as before long as doable following HIV identification. However, each case is different, so you should discuss the best time to start treatment with your health care professional. Together, you and your health care skilled ought to think about factors like however well your system is functioning, whether or not you’re pregnant, whether or not you’ve got AIDS, the amount of HIV in your blood and your ability and willingness to commit to lifelong treatment.

If you have HIV/AIDS, you should be active in your treatment—discuss the risks and benefits of all therapy options with your health care professional so you can make the most informed decision.

Before protease inhibitors, many AIDS patients were given antibiotics to ward off Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) and Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC). Combination drug medical care has allowed many folks to prevent taking preventive medical care for these AIDS-defining opportunist infections.

Research has shown that HIV treatment will dramatically cut back the danger of a mother transmission the virus to her baby. Without preventive medical care, about 25 percent of all HIV-positive pregnant women in developed countries pass the virus on to their babies. When women and their infants receive antiretroviral drugs during pregnancy and delivery, the risk of transmission drops to less than 2 percent.

With the availability of an effective means of preventing perinatal infection, health care providers are urged to screen all pregnant women for HIV, regardless of individual risk factors. The CDC also recommends postnatal screening for infants not tested before they’re born.

Today, there area unit 5 main categories of antiretroviral medicine approved for HIV medical care. They include the following:

• Nucleoside/nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) were the first antiretrovirals developed for treatment of HIV. These drugs interfere with an enzyme that enables the virus to replicate. NRTIs include lamivudine (Epivir) and Combivir (AZT/3TC). A newer drug during this category, called emtricitabine (Emtriva), treats both HIV and hepatitis B. It should be used along with a minimum of 2 alternative AIDS medications.

• Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) bind to the enzyme reverse transcriptase to prevent the virus from copying itself. They include delavirdine (Rescriptor), efavirenz (Sustiva, Stocrin), nevirapine (Viramune) and etravirine (Intelence).
  

• Protease inhibitors,discussed above, prevent the HIV virus from copying itself after entering a cell. By busybodied with Associate in Nursing protein known as HIV peptidase, they forestall the virus from replicating at a later stage in its life cycle. They include saquinavir (Invirase), ritonavir (Norvir), indinavir (Crixivan) and nelfinavir (Viracept), among others. To help prevent resistance, protease inhibitors are usually prescribed with other medications.
• Entry inhibitors (also called fusion inhibitors) prevent the HIV virus from copying itself after entering a cell. By busybodied with Associate in Nursing protein known as HIV peptidase, they forestall the virus from replicating at a later stage in its life cycle. They include saquinavir (Invirase), ritonavir (Norvir), indinavir (Crixivan) and nelfinavir (Viracept), among others. To help prevent resistance, protease inhibitors are usually prescribed with other medications.
• Integrase inhibitors, similar to entry inhibitors, square measure designed to treat folks with HIV United Nations agency have developed a resistance to different treatments. They work by preventing HIV DNA from integration into human DNA. So far, there is only one drug in this class—raltegravir (Isentress)—which is used in combination with other antiretroviral drugs.

To be simplest, researchers have discovered that HIV medications must be given in combination. The HIV virus will quickly change and become proof against single medications, so the virus needs to be attacked in different ways with different drugs at the same time to be kept under best control. In the past, HIV patients were forced to take multiple antiretroviral medications in multiple pills. Now there square measure 3 FDA-approved HIV medications that provide a full combination (or “cocktail”) of medication in one pill. These medications are often referred to in the medical community as multiclass therapies, and they include the following::

• Stribild (Elvitegravir/Cobicistat/FTC/Tenovir), approved in August 2012
• Complera (Rilpivirine/Tenofovir/FTC), approved in August 2011
• Atripla (Efavirenz/Tenofovir/FTC), approved in 2006

These multiclass, one-dose medications combine two or more of the five classes of HIV drugs described above.

All AIDS medications carry the potential for toxicity, known as adverse drug reactions. For example, protease inhibitors can redistribute fat cells in some patients. This condition, called lipodystrophy, causes paunches or humps to form in the abdomen or back. Some side effects are life threatening, such as the hypersensitivity reaction associated with abacavir and the inflammation of the pancreas that can occur with stavudine and didanosine. More common side effects from antiviral drugs are headache, fever, rash, nausea and vomiting.

You must additionally expect the danger of adverse drug interactions, both with anti-HIV drugs and other pharmaceutical and recreational drugs. An interaction will occur once 2 anti-HIV medicine have similar aspect effects. For instance, both zalcitabine and didanosine may cause tingling or pain in the hands, feet and legs, so they shouldn’t be prescribed together.

Interactions between anti-HIV medicine and different medicine will create anti-HIV medicine less effective and cause undesirable reactions. The T.B. treatment rifabutin, for example, should not be used with the protease inhibitor saquinavir for this reason. This is one more reason you should receive treatment from a provider experienced in HIV care and make sure you tell your health care professional about any medication—prescription or over-the-counter—you’re taking, including alternative medicines, supplements, vitamins and minerals.

Your treatment response are assessed with a tool referred to as a microorganism load take a look at. The take a look at measures the number of HIV in your blood—in medical terms, “plasma HIV RNA”—and is quantified as “copies per milliliter.” The goal is a viral load below 400 copies per milliliter of blood.

Viral load testing is an invaluable treatment guide today in the same way a CD4 count (testing for white blood cells called T-lymphocytes) was in the first decade of the epidemic. It provides timely info for deciding after you ought to begin treatment and once to change to completely different medicine if treatment proves ineffective or resistance is developing. The CD4 test is still important for measuring the functioning of the immune system.

Prevention

In the us overall, HIV is most typically nonheritable from homosexual sex; among ladies, it’s most typically nonheritable through heterosexual sex. The primary means of prevention and the primary focus of public health officials throughout the epidemic have been on the use of barrier contraceptives—condoms, male or female.

And although they provide some protection against HIV infection, condoms are not foolproof—the only surefire way to prevent HIV is to abstain from having sex with anyone who is infected, even if they may not know they’re infected.

One approach to HIV prevention that is gaining support is called the “ABC” approach, in which A stands for abstinence or delay of sexual activity, B for being faithful and C for condom use. This idea implies monogamy and reductions in casual sex and multiple sexual partnerships.

This approach is the primary reason behind the ability of Uganda and Thailand to reverse their HIV epidemics.

In other words, to reduce their risk of HIV, women need to stop having sex with multiple partners, stop having casual sex and engage in intercourse only as part of a committed, monogamous relationship whenever possible.
Other preventive behaviors include:

• Always use a condom (male or female) from start to finish during any type of sex (vaginal, anal and oral). Use latex or polyurethane condoms, not “natural” condoms.
• Use only water-based lubricants with latex condoms. You can use non-water-based lubricants with polyurethane condoms. Do not use oil-based lubricants such as petroleum jelly or vegetable shortening.
• If you use a spermicide with a condom, use the spermicide in the vagina according to the instructions. Spermicides haven’t been shown to guard against HIV.ay of sexual activity, B for being faithful and C for condom use. This idea implies monogamy and reductions in casu
• Avoid contraceptives containing the spermicide nonoxynol-9. Over-the-counter contraceptives that contain the prophylactic device nonoxynol-9, such as foams, creams, and gels, do not protect against HIV infection or other STDs. In fact, duct contraceptives containing nonoxynol-9 will promote duct irritation, which can increase your risk for HIV and alternative sexually transmitted diseases.
• Don’t do something that might tear the skin or damp lining of the reproductive organ, anus or mouth and cause bleeding. For instance, trauma to the mouth caused by rough kissing could lead to an exchange of blood.
• Seek early diagnosis and treatment if you have any symptoms of sexually transmitted diseases. Other sexually transmitted diseases may increase your risk of HIV infection.
• Do not share personal items such as toothbrushes, razors and devices used during sex that may be contaminated with blood, semen or vaginal fluids.
• Seek early diagnosis and treatment if you have any symptoms of sexually transmitted diseases. Other sexually transmitted diseases may increase your risk of HIV infection.
• Realize that you cannot tell by looking who is HIV-infected. In fact, a person can be infected and go years without any symptoms. During this time, they are still infectious.

For those already infected, combinations of antiviral drugs may reduce the ability to transmit the virus to a partner, with research finding that the drugs reduce the amount of virus in bodily secretions. Until the impact of treatment on transmission has been determined by large studies, however, this should not be considered a form of prevention.

For women who have sex with other women, the risk of HIV transmission is small. However, surveys of risk behaviors within some groups of such women indicate relatively high rates of high-risk behaviors, such as injection drug use and unprotected vaginal sex with gay/bisexual men and injection drug users. To minimize risk, you should:

• Understand that exposure of a mucous membrane, such as the mouth (especially if there is a cut), to vaginal secretions and menstrual blood is potentially infectious, particularly during very early and late-stage HIV infection when the amount of virus in the blood tends to be highest.
• Use dental dams, cut-open condoms or plastic wrap to help protect from contact with body fluids during female-to-female oral sex.

Researchers are working hard to find other ways to prevent HIV transmission. Two of the most promising are vaccines and antimicrobials. Neither, however, is expected to reach the market for many years.

Facts to Know

1. The CDC reports that 619,400 people in the United States have died from AIDS between the start of the epidemic in 1981 and 2009 (the most recent year for which death data are available). In 2010, an estimated 1.1 million people were living with AIDS in this country.
2. Today, about a quarter of people living with HIV are women.
3. According to the World Health Organization, as of November 2010, 34 million people were estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS worldwide. Of these, 31.6 million were adults, 15.8 million were women and 390,000 were children.
4. During 2010, AIDS caused the deaths of an estimated 1.8 million people worldwide.
5. The overwhelming majority of people with HIV now live in the developing world.
6. HIV infection are often passed from a mother to her baby before or throughout birth and thru breastfeeding. In the us, without antiretroviral drugs, 25 percent of women will transmit the virus to their children. When women and their infants receive antiretroviral drugs during pregnancy and delivery, the risk of transmission drops to 2 percent or less.
7. Many people report no symptoms after they ar initial infected. However, some folks have initial symptoms, called acute retroviral syndrome or primary HIV infection. The symptoms are similar to those of mononucleosis—such as fever, fatigue, joint ache, headache and sore throat—and last for one to three weeks.
8. Improved drug treatment for HIV infection permits folks to measure longer before developing AIDS. The drugs have allowed many people to stop taking preventive therapy for AIDS-defining opportunistic infections such as Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia and Mycobacterium avium complex.
9. There ar 5 main categories of medicine wont to treat HIV infection. The medicine ar employed in combination with one another to assist stop resistance. There ar currently 3 FDA-approved medications that give a mixture of medicine in a very single pill.
10. The riskiest behavior once it involves HIV transmission is sharing needles to inject medicine with somebody UN agency is HIV infected. The next riskiest behavior is perversion, followed by vaginal sex. You should ne’er have unprotected anal or channel sexual activity with anyone whose HIV standing you’re unsure of.

1. How long does it take for HIV to cause AIDS?There is no single answer to this question because it depends on many factors, including a person’s health status and his or her health-related behaviors. Before antiretroviral medical aid became out there in 1996, experts estimated that half of people with HIV would develop AIDS within 10 years. Scientists estimate that improved treatments can extend the time it takes to develop AIDS well on the far side ten years.
2. How can I tell if I’m infected with HIV?
3. The only thanks to confirm of course whether or not you’re infected is to be tested for HIV infection. You cannot rely on symptoms alone to let you know if you are infected with HIV, because most infected people may not have symptoms for years after their initial infection. Some symptoms that may be warning signs of infection include rapid weight loss, recurring fever, swollen lymph glands, pneumonia and diarrhea for an extended period.
4. Why is HIV testing recommended for all pregnant women?There ar medical therapies out there to lower the possibility of AN HIV-infected pregnant girl passing HIV to her baby before, during or after birth. HIV testing and message conjointly give a chance for infected ladies to seek out out they’re infected and to achieve access to medical treatment which will delay HIV malady progression in themselves.
5. Can I get HIV from someone performing oral sex on me?Yes, it’s potential for you to become infected with HIV through receiving head. If your partner has HIV, blood from his or her mouth may enter the urethra, the vagina, the anus or directly into the body, through small cuts or open sores. While no one knows exactly what the degree of risk is, evidence suggests that the risk is less than that of unprotected anal or vaginal sex and comparable to deep “French” kissing.
6. Can I get HIV from getting a tattoo or through body piercing?A risk of HIV transmission will exist if instruments with blood ar either not sterilized or disinfected or ar used not suitably between purchasers. If you’re considering obtaining a tattoo or having your body perforate, raise workers at the institution what procedures they use to stop the unfold of HIV and different blood-borne infections, such as hepatitis B virus.
   
7. Can I get HIV from open-mouth kissing?Open-mouth kissing, or “French kissing,” is considered very low risk for HIV transmission. However, prolonged open-mouth kissing could damage the mouth or lips and allow HIV to pass from an infected person to a partner. Because of this possible risk, experts recommend that you refrain from open-mouth kissing with an infected partner.
8. Why is injecting drugs a risk factor for HIV?At the beginning of each injection, blood is introduced into needles and syringes. HIV will be found within the blood of an individual infected with the virus. The apply of a blood-contaminated needle or syringe by another injection human carries a high risk of HIV transmission as a result of infected blood will be injected directly into the blood.
9. How effective are latex condoms in preventing HIV?Studies have shown that latex condoms square measure extremely effective in preventing HIV transmission once used systematically and properly. Nonetheless, the use of condoms alone cannot stem the tide of the AIDS epidemic. Reducing your sexual partners and taking a monogamous approach may also be necessar

Key Q&A

1. How long does it take for HIV to cause AIDS?There is no single answer to this question because it depends on many factors, including a person’s health status and his or her health-related behaviors. Before antiretroviral medical care became accessible in 1996, experts estimated that half of people with HIV would develop AIDS within 10 years. Scientists estimate that improved treatments can extend the time it takes to develop AIDS well on the far side ten years.
2. How can I tell if I’m infected with HIVThe only thanks to verify evidently whether or not you’re infected is to be tested for HIV infection. You cannot rely on symptoms alone to let you know if you are infected with HIV, because most infected people may not have symptoms for years after their initial infection. Some symptoms that may be warning signs of infection include rapid weight loss, recurring fever, swollen lymph glands, pneumonia and diarrhea for an extended period.
   
3. Why is HIV testing recommended for all pregnant women?There square measure medical therapies accessible to lower the possibility of associate HIV-infected pregnant girl passing HIV to her babe before, throughout or when birth. HIV testing and direction additionally give a chance for infected ladies to seek out out they’re infected and to achieve access to medical treatment that will delay HIV illness progression in themselves.
4. Can I get HIV from someone performing oral sex on me??Yes, it’s doable for you to become infected with HIV through receiving perversion. If your partner has HIV, blood from his or her mouth may enter the urethra, the vagina, the anus or directly into the body, through small cuts or open sores. While no one knows exactly what the degree of risk is, evidence suggests that the risk is less than that of unprotected anal or vaginal sex and comparable to deep “French” kissing..
5. Can I get HIV from getting a tattoo or through body piercing?A risk of HIV transmission does exist if instruments with blood are either not sterilized or disinfected or are used inappropriately between clients. If you are considering getting a tattoo or having your body pierced, ask staff at the establishment what procedures they use to prevent the spread of HIV and other blood-borne infections, such as hepatitis B virus.
6. Can I get HIV from open-mouth kissing?A risk of HIV transmission will exist if instruments with blood square measure either not sterilized or disinfected or square measure used not suitably between shoppers. If you’re considering obtaining a tattoo or having your body cut, raise workers at the institution what procedures they use to forestall the unfold of HIV and alternative blood-borne infections, such as hepatitis B virus.
7. Why is injecting drugs a risk factor for HIVOpen-mouth kissing, or “French kissing,” is considered very low risk for HIV transmission. However, prolonged open-mouth kissing could damage the mouth or lips and allow HIV to pass from an infected person to a partner. Because of this possible risk, experts recommend that you refrain from open-mouth kissing with an infected partner..
8. How effective are latex condoms in preventing HIV?Studies have shown that latex condoms are highly effective in preventing HIV transmission when used consistently and correctly. Nonetheless, the use of condoms alone cannot stem the tide of the AIDS epidemic. Reducing your sexual partners and taking a monogamous approach may also be necessary