AIDS - What is it?
(c)Marguerite Tompson 2004 - 2005
Sexually transmitted infections are a very real consequence of unprotected sex. AIDS is one of the bigger ones. Each year, one in four teens gets AIDS, so it's really important to know the facts.
That way, you can avoid getting one or learn what to do if you have one. The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a viral infection that leads to a usually fatal disease known as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). When people first get infected with HIV, they often have no or very mild symptoms. Later, the virus develops into AIDS. Then people often get sick, because their immune system, which fights off diseases and germs, is weak and not working right.
HIV is spread through blood, semen, vaginal fluids, or breast milk. If people already have a sexually transmitted infection, their chances of getting HIV are increased if they’re exposed to it.
People who’ve been exposed to HIV need to wait three to six months after exposure before they can take an HIV test and get accurate results. If they test too early, they might not realize that have HIV, but they’ll still be able to pass the virus to others. This three-to-six-month period is called a “window” period.
Testing for HIV is either a blood test or a swab of cells from inside the mouth. HIV testing can be done anonymously (meaning you don’t give your name or any identifying information) or confidentially (meaning test results are private and can’t be released to anyone else).
Over time, a person with HIV gets sick and is considered to have AIDS. There are treatments to help build the immune system, decrease the amount of the HIV virus in the body, and treat the different illnesses. But AIDS is not curable, and, over time, most sufferers will die of complications due to certain types of cancer or pneumonia.
HIV/AIDS can be spread through oral sex as well. Whenever there is vaginal, anal, or oral sex between two people, there is a danger that a person who has a sexually transmitted infection (STI), including HIV, will transmit it to a person who does not.
A kiss cannot spread HIV, (the virus that causes AIDS), chlamydia, genital warts, or gonorrhea. You can’t get pregnant from kissing, either. You can however contract the virus if you have an open sore on your mouth.