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Get the facts
Most of us are only too aware of the serious challenges that HIV and AIDS continue to pose around the globe.
HIV/AIDS still exists in Australia. The annual number of new HIV diagnoses in Australia has been stable at around 1000 cases in the past 4 years. In 2009, a total of 1049 new infections were diagnosed in Australia.
HIV can affect anyone. There is no vaccine or cure for HIV or AIDS.
The good news is that the transmission of HIV is preventable. By being informed about how HIV is transmitted and how to protect ourselves and others, we can enjoy life with safer sex and prevent the spread of HIV.
So take the first step – inform yourself about HIV/AIDS. This booklet contains important information about HIV and AIDS, including how you can protect yourself and where to go for more information and help. Take time to read it and then pass it on to your friends, family and loved ones. You may be saving your life and others.
What is HIV?
HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is the virus that can cause Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). They are not the same thing.
HIV weakens or breaks down the body’s immune system and makes the body vulnerable to disease and infection. Some people who have been infected with HIV experience flu like symptoms but others do not notice any symptoms for many years.
What is AIDS?
AIDS is not the same as HIV. A person living with HIV does not necessarily have AIDS, but all people with AIDS are HIV positive.
AIDS can occur after many years of damage to the immune system caused by HIV. This damage to the body’s immune system makes the body vulnerable to disease and infection. During the advanced stages of HIV infection, a person may develop a number of ‘AIDS-defining illnesses’ which can be very debilitating and possibly lead to death.
How is HIV transmitted?
HIV may be transmitted when blood, semen and vaginal fluid from an infected person enters the body of an uninfected person. This can happen through unprotected anal, vaginal and oral sex, or when sharing any injecting equipment. Mothers who are HIV-positive can transmit HIV to their babies during pregnancy, during vaginal delivery and when breast feeding.
While it is infectious, HIV it is not spread like air-borne viruses such as the flu. It can’t be passed on by hugging, shaking hands, coughing or sneezing. Nor can it be passed on by sharing toilets and washing facilities or using eating utensils or consuming food and beverages handled by someone who has HIV.
What can I do to protect myself from HIV?
Always practice safe sex
It can take a single instance of unprotected sex with an infected partner for HIV to be passed on. Condoms can help provide protection from infection by preventing semen, vaginal fluid or blood from coming into direct contact with another person.
Sex can be made safer by using a condom together with water-based lubricants (lube) which help prevent the condoms from breaking. When used correctly and together, condoms and lube are the best protection against the transmission of HIV.
Travelling and your protection
If you are sexually active and travelling, especially to countries where there is a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS, make sure you take condoms and sachets of lube with you – in some countries they are difficult to find or are of a low quality.
Medical procedures in unsterile conditions and blood transfusions in some countries are also important risk factors to consider.
Sharing isn’t always caring
When it comes to needles and personal care items (eg razors), there’s a good reason to be careful – HIV and other diseases can be transmitted through blood.
If you inject, always use new injecting equipment every time and never share any of your injecting equipment. If you are getting a tattoo, piercing or acupuncture make sure the equipment is sterile.
Testing
A blood test is the only way to know if you have HIV. You can get a confidential test by visiting your doctor or sexual health clinic. For further information check the government Health Department website in you State or Territory.
What can I do if I have been exposed to HIV?
Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP)
If you think you have been exposed to HIV – for example, as a result of a condom breaking or leakage, you should seek medical advice as soon as possible.
PEP is a four-week course of one or more anti-HIV (or anti-retroviral) drugs which may stop HIV infection becoming established. The drugs must be taken within three days of exposure to the virus. Research shows that PEP can prevent the likelihood of infection with HIV, but it is not 100% effective. For that reason PEP should only be considered an emergency prevention strategy of last resort.
In Australia, PEP can be accessed through sexual health clinics or GPs who specialise in HIV/AIDS, or through hospital accident and emergency departments.
Further information on PEP you can contact your local GP or sexual health clinic.
Understanding and supporting people living with HIV/AIDS
HIV/AIDS can affect anyone and people that are living with HIV or AIDS often feel isolated because of their fear of being discriminated against and not being accepted.
Feeling accepted and having ongoing support available can make a big difference in helping people deal with the physical and emotional challenges HIV or AIDS brings.
World AIDS Day, held on 1 December each year, is a significant opportunity to show your support for people living with HIV or AIDS. Even the simplest gestures – such as wearing a red ribbon pin – can go a long way to showing that you care and breaking down community stigmas.
If you know someone who is living with HIV or AIDS, it is important to remember that there are services and organisations that can provide assistance if needed. These services and organisations can offer you advice on how you can support people living with, or closely affected by HIV/AIDS.
Stigma and Discrimination
HIV/AIDS does not discriminate, people do. Stigma and discrimination will continue to exist so long as societies as a whole continue to judge people who have HIV/AIDS. You can help change this by encouraging others not to judge.
From the World Aids Day Australia website http://www.worldaidsday.org.au/internet/wad/publishing.nsf/Content/home
