How does HIV attack your body? How you can prevent it AIDS Committee of Durham Region When HIV enters the body it can reproduce without any signs or symptoms. It can take years before the person develops AIDS. By weakening the body, HIV/AIDS allows other infections and diseases to invade the body. When people are first infected with HIV they usually feel well and often do not know they are infected. Being informed is the best way to prevent yourself from getting infected. If you inject drugs use a new needle and new supplies every time you inject. Protect yourself by having safer sex. This means making sure that the other person’s blood, semen, or vaginal fluid does not get into your body. Use a latex condom every time you have anal, vaginal, or oral sex. The Aids Committee of Durham Region is a registered charity that strives to work within the community, and in conjunction with community partners, on a broad range of social justice issues which affect our HIV+ clients and those in the community who are at risk of incection. How is it spread? The use of condoms It can be spread in three ways: According the World Health Organization, everyday about 100 million people in the world have sex. ApproxiBy having sexual interaction with an HIV mately one million result in non planned pregnancies infected individual without the proper protection and about half a million people get a sexually transmitEvery time someone has vaginal or anal sex with an ted infection. These infections could be prevented with infected person without using a condom there’s a the constant and correct use of female or male high risk of getting infected. There is also a risk of condoms. getting infected by having oral sex with someone who has HIV without using a condom or dental To make sure your condom use is efficient dam. keep this in mind: By sharing contaminated needles or syringes HIV is also frequently spread among injection drug users by the sharing of contaminated instruments. The virus can also be spread through the use of non-sterile instruments that enter the body (e.g. tattooing or skin piercing equipment). -Store your condoms in a cool dry place. Do not keep them in your wallet; this will crush the wrapper and the condoms will go bad. Don’t forget to check for the expiration date. -Before opening a condom, make sure the wrapper is not torn or broken. Do not open the wrapper with your A woman to her baby A woman infected with HIV can pass the virus to her teeth, you could damage the condom. baby during pregnancy, during birth, and through -Always put the condom on before initiating the interbreast-feeding. Nowadays, there are medications course. Do not use oil-based lubricants, they can that reduce the risk of an HIV positive woman weaken the latex and make it break. Use only waterinfecting her baby. based lubricants. Who is at risk of getting infected? Anyone. HIV is a virus that can get into anyone without distinction of gender, sexual preference, age, social status, culture, religion or way of life. Any person that is sexually active or shares infected injecting instruments can get infected. HIV can NOT be transmitted by: -Insect bites -Using public places like pools, bathrooms, restaurants -Shaking hands, hugging, or having everyday contact with infected people, as well as working, living, studying or performing any activity close to them. -Using the same cooking or eating utensils -Taking care of someone living with HIV/AIDS -Kissing an infected person The AIDS Committee of Durham Region 401—22 King Street West. Oshawa, Ontario. L1H 1A3 Tel: 905.576.1445 Fax: 905.576.4610 Web: www.aidsdurham.com [email protected] AIDS Committee of Durham Region El AIDS Committee of Durham Region es una organizacion de caridad que se preocupa por trabajar en la comunidad y en conjunto con otras organizaciones comunitarias en una variedad de problemas de justicia social que afectan a nuestros clientes VIH positivos y a aquellos en la comunidad en riesgo de ser infectados. The AIDS Committee of Durham Region 401—22 King Street West. Oshawa, Ontario. L1H 1A3 Tel: 905.576.1445 Fax: 905.576.4610 Web: www.aidsdurham.com [email protected] Do you know what HIV/AIDS is? Do you know how people get infected? Do you know how to prevent it? Sabes que es el VIH/SIDA? Conoces las formas de transmisión? Sabes como prevenirlo?