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HIV/AIDS

AIDS is a story of not knowing. Let’s expand our knowledge and awareness about diseases transmitted through blood and sexual contact.

HIV is a progressive yet preventable virus.If left unchecked and untreated, it can develop into AIDS. A person with AIDS becomes more vulnerable to various infections compared to others. However, an HIV-positive individual—by maintaining good mental and emotional health, proper nutrition, and timely, appropriate treatment—can continue to live for many years.

Modes of HIV Transmission

There are three main ways HIV is transmitted:

Blood and Blood Products
Blood and blood products from individuals infected with HIV/AIDS carry the virus. Transmission can occur if you receive contaminated blood, share injection equipment with infected individuals (common among people who inject drugs), or use shared sharp instruments such as razors, tattoo needles, or piercing tools.

Sexual Contact
HIV can be transmitted from an infected person to a healthy individual through unprotected sexual contact (without proper condom use).

Mother-to-Child Transmission During Pregnancy, Delivery, and Breastfeeding.
HIV can be passed from an HIV-positive mother to her child during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeedin.

 

**You cannot tell if someone is HIV-positive just by their appearance. **

What factors increase the risk of HIV transmission during sexual contact ?
– Having multiple sexual partners (same-sex or opposite-sex) without proper condom use
– The presence of cuts, abrasions, or bleeding during sexual activity
– Having an untreated sexually transmitted infection (STI), which may present symptoms such as sores, discharge, or burning sensations in the genital or anal area

Why should people living with HIV not be isolated from other?

Many individuals living with HIV did not contract the virus due to promiscuity, but rather because of a lack of awareness and education about it. **HIV is not transmitted through everyday casual contact such as talking, shaking hands, kissing on the cheek, hugging, sneezing or coughing, sharing food or utensils, using the same restroom or toilet, swimming pools, or insect bites like mosquitoes.

**Knowledge alone is not enough—what truly matters is changing risky behaviors.**
It is our high-risk actions that expose us to HIV, not simply living alongside someone who carries the virus.
Proper and consistent use of condoms during sexual contact can effectively prevent HIV transmission.

How to Protect Yourself Against HIV

  • Avoid sexual activity before marriage
  • Remain faithful to your spouse or sexual partner
  • Refrain from unprotected sex (without proper condom use) with unknown individuals
  • Use condoms correctly and consistently during sexual intercourse
  • Avoid drugs, stimulants, hallucinogens, psychoactive pills, and alcohol (these substances impair judgment and reduce the ability to make safe sexual decisions)
  • Avoid drug use, especially intravenous drug use
  • Never share needles or syringes for injection
  • Avoid sharing sharp objects such as razors, tattoo needles, and similar tools