HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus

• Human - HIV only affects human beings.
• Immunodeficiency - HIV attacks the body's defense system opening it to disease and infection.
• Virus - HIV is the germ that causes AIDS.

AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome

• Acquired - AIDS is something a person gets because of an HIV infection.
• Immune - Refers to the body's natural defense system (the immune system) against disease and infection.
• Deficiency - The immune system isn't working as well as it should be to fight off disease and infection.
• Syndrome - A set of diseases that takes advantage of the body's weakened immune system.

• The initial infection is characterized by diarrhea, erysipelas and intermittent fever. An apparent recovery follows after 2-3 weeks, and in many cases the patient remains without symptoms and functions normally for years. Occasionally  a swelling of the lymph glands, which does not affect the patient's well-being, can be observed.

• After several years, the pre-AIDS stage, known as ARC (Aids- Related Complex) sets in. This stage includes disorders in the digestive tract, kidneys and lungs. In most cases it develops into full-blown AIDS in about a year, at which point opportunistic illnesses occur. Parallel to this syndrome, disorders in various organ systems occur, the most severe in the brain, the symptoms of which range from motoric disorders to severe dementia and death.

HIV/AIDS are spread by:

high risk

• vaginal or rectal sex without a condom
• blood (sharing needles and or works)
• babies can be infected during pregnancy

low risk

• oral sex without a condom or dental dam
• HIV mom breast feeding a baby after birth

How to avoid getting HIV/AIDS:

• use condoms for sex - always. This means from the moment a man enters his partner (male or female) he must have a condom on. HIV can be transmitted before the man cums because during sex pre-cum is released from a man's penis. This is just as dangerous and can spread HIV. Always use a condom, check the expiry date and, we suggest, use lubricant to decrease the risk of the condom breaking.
   
• if you use drugs, never share needles (see needle exchange for information on where you can get clean needles), and use condoms for sex - always.

How do you know if you are infected?

• a blood test will tell you if you have been infected with the virus. If you donate blood or go to a healthy sexuality clinic or the health unit you will usually get your results back within a week. If you go to your family doctor for a test it will usually take longer.

A negative HIV test result means either:

• you are NOT infected with HIV or
• you MAY BE infected but your body has not yet produced enough antibodies to show on the test
   

*It can take about 2 to 6 months after infection for the test to turn positive .....you may need a second test to be sure.

A positive result means:

• you are infected with HIV and can infect others through blood or sex... it does not yet mean you have AIDS. AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. In this stage the body's ability to fight off major infections and illnesses is further weakened.