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Protect Yourself Against HIV

The human immunodeficiency virus or the HIV virus for short is a virus that spreads easily and that attacks an individual's immune system. Such an attacked immune system is basically rendered "out of action" and incapable of providing protection against viruses, bacterial infections and other conditions.

Three primary modes in which the HIV virus can be spread have been identified. The first way is by means of sexual contact, the second way by means of blood transmission and the final way by means of mother-to-child transmission. Prevention of AIDS is therefore possible and AIDS awareness campaigns are used to bring this to the attention of individuals around the world.

Even though HIV or AIDS is not a subject that is often casually discussed around the dinner table, it is very important to familiarise yourself with what AIDS is, how it can be spread and how you can protect yourself against HIV and AIDS.

Some of the most common ways that the HIV virus can spread is by means of blood, urine or faeces of an infected person comes in contact with an uninfected person's blood stream. This can happen through something as innocent as a cut or scrape on a finger or a blood transfusion in a hospital following an accident.

Unfortunately, when it comes to HIV and AIDS, you have to always expect the worst. What this means is that if you are not sure if someone might be infected with the HIV virus, you have to take special precautions when coming in contact with such a person. As mentioned the HIV virus can spread through blood and therefore it is important to wear medical gloves if coming in contact with the blood of other persons. This can be seen in the healthcare sector where all healthcare professionals make use of gloves as they will never be able to know if an unconscious patient is suffering from HIV AIDS.

Another way to prevent possible spreading of the HIV virus is to never ever use a second hand needle! Doctors should always open a needle's packet in front of a patient, to show that the needle has not been used before.

It is very important to know your HIV status. It is alarming to hear how few people know their HIV status. Just because you assume that you are not infected, does not mean that you are not! You might have had an infected partner somewhere in your dating history or you might have been in contact with blood from an infected individual without even realizing it! The only way for HIV AIDS not to become a death sentence is to receive good medical care as soon as you are diagnosed with the disease. The longer you leave it unattended, the more damage the virus can cause to your immune system and the more difficult it will be to treat the disease!

HIV AIDS might not be something that we discuss around the dinner table, but it is most certainly not something that should be ignored! Make sure that you learn more about the disease and also have yourself tested without delay!