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AIDS is short for acquired immune deficiency syndrome.
AIDS is a disease that slowly destroys the body's immune system. Without
these important defenses, a person with AIDS can't fight off germs and
cancers. Caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV),
AIDS leaves an infected person vulnerable to opportunistic infections.
Such infections are harmless in healthy people, but in those whose immune
systems have been greatly weakened, they can prove fatal. Although there
is no cure for AIDS, new drugs are available that can prolong the life
spans and improve the quality of life of infected people.
Who Gets HIV/AIDS?
According to CDC, an estimated 42 million people worldwide-38.6 million
adults and 3.2 million children younger than 15 years - were living with
HIV/AIDS by the end of 2002. 1 CDC estimates that 850,000 to 950,000 US
residents are living with HIV infection, one quarter (25%) of who are
unaware of their infection. 2
Approximately 40,000 new HIV infections occur each year in the United
States, about 70 percent among men and 30 percent among women. Of these
newly infected people half are younger than 25 years of age. 3
DISPARITIES
HIV/AIDS epidemic is a major health crisis facing the African American
community. Although African Americans make up only about 12% of the U.S.
population, they accounted for half of the new HIV infections reported
in the United States in 2001. Infection through drug use is a major factor
in the spread of HIV in minority communities.
Men
• African-American men account for
43% of HIV cases reported among men in 2001.
• Data reported to CDC through 2001 suggest that the leading
cause of HIV among African American men is sexual contact with other
men, followed by injection drug use and heterosexual contact.
• 32 percent of African-American men who have sex with men
were found to be infected with HIV, compared to 14 percent of Latinos
and 7 percent of whites in the study.
• AIDS is the leading cause of death among African American
men ages 35-44
Women
• African-American women accounted for nearly 64% of HIV cases
reported among women in 2001.
• The rate of HIV infection among African-American women,
ages 20 to 44, was four times higher than the rates among Latinas
of the same age, and more than 16 times higher than white women.
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How Can I Prevent HIV/AIDS?
It doesn't matter who you are. There aren't any AIDS risk
groups -- only AIDS risk behaviors.
The most common way people get HIV is by having sex with an infected
person. This means you have to protect
1 UNAIDS. AIDS Epidemic Update,
December, 2002
2Fleming, P.L. et al. HIV Prevalence in he United
States, 2000. 9th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections,
Seattle, Wash., Feb. 24-28, 2002. Abstract 11.
3Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
HIVand AIDS – United States, 1981-2001. MMWR 2001;50:430-434.
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yourself -- and your sex partner. How can
you do this?
• Don't have sex outside marriage or a committed relationship.
• If you or your partner have ever had unprotected sex -- or if
either of you uses injection drugs -- get tested.
• Use a latex or polyurethane condom during sex. Don't use natural-skin
condoms
• Use a lubricant -- but NEVER use an oil-based lubricant with a
latex condom.
• Use a condom or latex dam during oral sex.
• Kissing, erotic massage, and mutual masturbation are safe sex
activities.
Using drugs increases your HIV risk. Stop using drugs if you want to avoid
the AIDS virus. If you're not ready to stop taking drugs, you can still
reduce your risk of getting HIV. Here's how:
• Don't have sex when you're high. It's easy to forget about safe
sex when you're on drugs.
• If you must use drugs, don't inject them.
• If you must inject drugs, don't share the equipment. This includes
the whole works: needles, syringes, cookers, cotton, and rinse water.
Some states have needle-exchange programs where you can trade dirty equipment
for new equipment.
Mothers with HIV can give the virus to their infants during pregnancy,
delivery, or breastfeeding. If you're pregnant, get an HIV test. Anti-HIV
drugs taken during pregnancy and delivery can greatly reduce the risk
of passing the AIDS virus to your baby. If you have HIV, you should feed
your infant formula.
You can get HIV from the blood of an infected person. If you are helping
a bleeding person, be careful to avoid getting blood into cuts or open
sores on your skin or in your eyes or mouth.
How Do I Know If I Have HIV?
The only way to know for sure if you have HIV is to get an HIV test. If
you are at risk for HIV, you should have an HIV test every six months.
The HIV test is simple. Home tests are available. You can also get tested
at labs that keep your identity secret. You can also get tested by your
doctor, and at your public health department. If you are doing a home
test, or if you order a test from a lab, a positive result means you should
see a doctor to confirm that you're really infected and to seek medical
care.
If you think you have been exposed to the virus, you may want to be tested
for HIV. Counseling and testing services are provided free of charge at
various locations. Go to National HIV Testing Resources, to find a testing
center in your state.
Resources
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