What is AIDS?
                        AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, a disease in which the body's immune
                        system breaks down. Normally, the immune system fights off infections and certain other diseases.
                        When the system fails, a person with AIDS can develop a variety of life-threatening illnesses.

                     AIDS is caused by HIV
                        AIDS is caused by a virus called the human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV. A virus is one of the
                        smallest "germs" that can cause disease.

                     If you have unprotected sex (sexual intercourse without consistent and correct condom use) or share
                        needles or syringes with an infected person, you may become infected with HIV. Specific blood
                        tests can show evidence of HIV infection. You can be infected with HIV and have no symptoms at
                        all. You might feel perfectly healthy, but if you're infected, you can pass the virus to anyone with
                        whom you have unprotected sex or share needles or syringes.

                    Will you get AIDS if you are infected with HIV?

                        About half of the people with HIV develop AIDS within 10 years, but the time between infection with
                        HIV and the onset of AIDS can vary greatly. The severity of the HIV-related illness or illnesses will
                        differ from person to person, according to many factors, including the overall health of the individual.

                        Today there are promising new medical treatments that can postpone many of the illnesses
                        associated with AIDS. This is a step in the right direction, and scientists are becoming optimistic
                        that HIV infection will someday be controllable. In the meantime, people who get medical care to
                        monitor and treat their HIV infection can carry on with their lives, including their jobs, for longer than
                        ever before.

                    You can become infected with HIV in two main ways:

                          Having unprotected sexual intercourse - anal, vaginal, or oral - with an infected person.
                             Sharing drug needles or syringes with an infected person.

                        Also, women infected with HIV can pass the virus to their babies during pregnancy or during birth.
                        They can also pass it on when breast-feeding. Some people have become infected by receiving
                        blood transfusions. Since 1985, however, when careful screening and laboratory testing of all blood
                        donations began, this possibility has been greatly reduced.

                        You cannot be infected by giving blood at a blood bank.

                     You can get HIV from sexual intercourse

                        HIV can be spread through sexual intercourse, from male to male, male to female, female to male,
                        and, in theory, from female to female.

                        HIV is sexually transmitted, and HIV is not the only infection that is passed through intimate sexual
                        contact. Other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), such as gonorrhea, syphilis, herpes, and
                        chlamydia, can also be contracted through anal, vaginal, and oral intercourse. If you have one of
                        these infections and engage in sexual behaviors that can transmit HIV, you are at greater risk of
                        getting HIV.

                        HIV may be in an infected person's blood, semen, or vaginal secretions. HIV can enter the body
                        through cuts or sores in the skin. HIV can also enter the body through the moist lining of the vagina,
                        penis, rectum, or even the mouth. Some of these cuts or sores are so small you don't even know
                        they're there. Anal intercourse with an infected person is one of the ways HIV has been most
                        frequently transmitted. Other forms of sexual intercourse, including oral sex, can spread it as well.
                        During oral sex, a person who takes semen, blood, or vaginal secretions into their mouth is at risk of
                        becoming infected.

                        Many infected people have no symptoms and have not been tested. If you have sex with one of
                        them, you put yourself in danger. Also, the more sexual partners you have, the greater your chances
                        of encountering one or more who are infected and of becoming infected yourself. The only sure way
                        to avoid infection through sex is to abstain from sexual intercourse or engage in sexual intercourse
                        only with someone who is not infected and only has sex with you. Latex condoms have been shown
                        to help prevent HIV infection and other sexually transmitted diseases. But you have to use condoms
                        correctly every time you have sex - vaginal, anal, or oral. Condoms made of plastics such as
                        polyurethane should also be highly effective. Condoms made of lambskin, however, do not offer good
                        protection.
 

                     You can get HIV from sharing needles

                        Sharing needles or syringes, even once, is very risky. Many people have become infected with HIV
                        and other germs this way. HIV from an infected person can remain in a needle or syringe and then
                        be injected directly into the bloodstream of the next person who uses it. Sharing needles to inject IV
                        drugs is the most dangerous form of needle sharing.

                        Sharing needles for other purposes may also transmit HIV and other germs. These types of needles
                        include those used to inject steroids and those used for tattooing or ear-piercing. If you plan to have
                        your ears pierced or get a tattoo, make sure you go to a qualified person who uses brand-new or
                        sterile equipment. Don't be shy about asking questions. Responsible technicians will explain the
                        safety measures they follow.

                     HIV and babies

                        A woman infected with HIV can pass the virus on to her baby during pregnancy, while giving birth, or
                        when breast-feeding. If a woman is infected before or during pregnancy, her child has about one
                        chance in four of being born with HIV infection. Medical treatment with AZT during pregnancy and
                        labor may reduce the risk of infecting the baby to about 1 in 12. There must be no breast-feeding by
                        the infected mother and the baby must be given AZT for the first several weeks of life. Even then, the
                        risk of infecting the child cannot be totally eliminated.

                        Any woman who is considering having a baby and who thinks she might have done something that
                        could have caused her to become infected with HIV - even if this occurred years ago - should seek
                        counseling and testing for HIV infection to help her make an informed choice about becoming
                        pregnant. To find out where to go in your area for counseling and testing, call your local health
                        department or the CDC National AIDS Hotline (1-800-342-AIDS).

                     Blood transfusions and HIV

                        In the past some people became infected with HIV from receiving blood transfusions. This risk has
                        been practically eliminated. Since a 1983 Public Health Service recommendation, potential blood
                        donors at risk of HIV infection have been asked not to donate blood. Since 1985 all donated blood
                        has been tested for evidence for HIV. All blood found to contain evidence of HIV infection is
                        discarded. Currently in the United States, there is only a very small chance of infection with HIV
                        through a blood transfusion.

                        You cannot get HIV from giving blood at a blood bank or other blood collection center. The needles
                        used for blood donations are sterile. They are used once, then destroyed.

                        How you cannot get HIV

                        HIV infection doesn't "just happen." You can't "catch" it like a cold or flu. Unlike cold or flu viruses,
                        HIV is not spread by coughs or sneezes. Again, you get HIV by coming in contact with infected
                        blood, semen, or vaginal fluids from another person.

                          You won't get HIV through everyday contact with infected people at school, work, home, or
                             anywhere else.
                             You won't get HIV from clothes, phones, or toilet seats. It can't be passed on by things like
                             forks, cups, or other objects that someone who is infected with the virus has used.
                             You won't get HIV from eating food prepared by an infected person.
                             You won't get HIV from a mosquito bite. HIV does not live in a mosquito, and it is not
                             transmitted through a mosquito's bite like other germs, such as the ones that cause malaria.
                             You won't get it from bedbugs, lice, flies, or other insects, either.
                             You won't get HIV from sweat, saliva, or tears.
                             You won't get HIV from a simple kiss. Most scientists agree that although transmission of
                             HIV through deep or prolonged kissing may be possible because of potential blood contact, it
                             would be unlikely.

                        Who is really at risk for HIV infection?

                        There is evidence that HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, has been in the U.S. at least since 1978.
                        The following are known risk factors for HIV. You may be at increased risk of infection if any of the
                        following have applied to you since 1978.

                             Have you shared needles or syringes to inject drugs or steroids?
                             If you are a male, have you had sex with other males?
                             Have you had sex with someone who you believe may have been infected with HIV?
                             Have you had a sexually transmitted disease (STD)?
                             Have you received blood transfusions or blood products between 1978 and 1985?
                             Have you had unprotected sex with someone who would answer yes to any of the above
                             questions?

                        If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you should discuss your need for testing with a
                        trained counselor. If you are a woman in any of the above categories and you plan to become
                        pregnant, counseling and testing are even more important.

                        If you had unprotected sex with someone and you didn't know their risk behavior, or you have had
                        many sexual partners in the last 10 years, then you have increased the chances that you might be
                        HIV-infected.