Twenty-Five Years of AIDS: Disease Transmission

by Aimee Amodio | More from this Blogger

09 Jun 2006 08:05 AM

Right now, there is no cure for HIV or AIDS. Slowing the spread of the disease is currently the only way we have of controlling it.

The disease is spread in several ways:

• Through sexual contact with an infected person
• Sharing needles with an infected person
• Through transfusions of infected blood or blood clotting factors, or receipt of infected organs
• While pregnant, during childbirth, or by breast-feeding

Since 1985, the risk of contracting HIV or AIDS through blood transfusions or organ donation has become very low. Many countries screen blood for HIV antibodies before using it.

The disease is NOT passed through open or closed-mouth kissing or even biting. And although very small amounts of HIV have been found in saliva and tears, contact with saliva, tears, or sweat has never resulted in the transmission of the disease. The disease is also not passed by insects -- HIV lives for only a very short time inside an insect, and cannot reproduce or survive. In fact, HIV does not survive well in the environment at all. Within several hours of exposure to air, as much as 99% of the virus dies.

If you are living with a person who is HIV-positive, you should take precautions to prevent exposures to infected blood and bodily fluids. Transmission between members of a household is rare, especially if you are careful.

• Wear gloves during contact with blood and other bodily fluids that contain white blood cells.
• Cuts and sores should be covered with bandages -- whether on the patient or on the care giver.
• Wash hands immediately after any contact with blood or bodily fluids.
• Surfaces that come into contact with blood or bodily fluids should be disinfected promptly.
• Do not share razors, toothbrushes, or other toiletry items that could increase the chance of blood contact.
• Needles should be used only when medically necessary and by only one person. Dispose of used needles properly, in a puncture-proof container.

Consistent and proper use of condoms during sexual intercourse can greatly reduce your risk of acquiring or transmitting HIV. Latex and polyurethane condoms are a highly effective barrier to the virus; natural membrane condoms like lambskin may contain natural pores through which the virus can pass.

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Aimee is a fiction writer... dog lover... music lover...

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