How To Protect Hiv Aids

Filing An Employment Discrimination Complaint With The Eeoc

An applicant or employee who believes that he or she has been subjected to discrimination on the basis of having HIV or AIDS should file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission within 180 days of when the discrimination occurred.

For technical assistance on employment discrimination or to file a complaint of employment discrimination, contact the EEOC at 800-669-4000 or 800-669-6820 or visit www.eeoc.gov.

Learn About Viral Load

In 2017 the CDC declared that people with HIV who have an undetectable viral loadmeaning levels of HIV in the blood is below the threshold of detectionare unable to transmit HIV to their partners. This is often summarized with the phrase Undetectable = Untransmittable or U = U.

The CDC made the declaration after analyzing the results of three studies that included thousands of couples engaging in sexual acts without condoms, where one partner was HIV-positive with an undetectable viral load, and the other was HIV-negative . Not one of the HIV-negative people in the three studies contracted the virus from a positive person when their viral load was suppressed, the CDC reported.

The way to obtain and maintain an undetectable viral load is through taking a combination of antiretroviral medications. This treatment is referred to as antiretroviral therapy or ART, according to the CDC. HIV researchers, doctors, and activists alike now view having an undetectable viral load as a means of HIV prevention, commonly referred to as Treatment as Prevention .

How Can You Prevent Getting Or Transmitting Hiv Through Sex

There are several ways to prevent getting or transmitting HIV through anal or vaginal sex.

If you are HIV-negative, you can use HIV prevention medicine known as pre-exposure prophylaxis or post-exposure prophylaxis to protect yourself. You can also use other HIV prevention methods, below.

If you have HIV, the most important thing you can do to prevent transmission and stay healthy is to take your HIV medicine , every day, exactly as prescribed. People living with HIV who take HIV medicine daily as prescribed and get and keep an undetectable viral load have effectively no risk of sexually transmitting HIV to their HIV-negative partners. Read more about Treatment as Prevention. There also are other options to choose from, below.

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Are Women More Likely To Get Hiv

Yes. Biologically speaking, a woman is more vulnerable to heterosexual transmission of the disease because the genitalia are easily exposed to seminal fluids.

Gender inequality has great influence on the spread of HIV/AIDS among women. In some cultures, many women and girls are often put in situations where they engage in non-consensual sex or have sex for money.

In the U.S., minority communities have been hit the hardest by HIV. African American and Hispanic women together represent less than 25% of all U.S. women, yet they account for more than 78% of AIDS cases reported among women in the country.

How Is An Hiv Test Performed

Before taking an HIV test:

• Ask the clinic what privacy rules it follows.
• Ask your healthcare provider any questions you have about HIV, AIDS, or the HIV test.

To do the HIV test, a small sample of blood is taken from your arm. The blood is sent to a lab and tested for HIV.

Home testing is available. The sample can be obtained via oral secretions , or a blood sample from a finger-stick test strip that is then mailed to a laboratory for screening. Positive results must be confirmed by your doctor before a diagnosis of HIV infection can be established.

Some clinics perform HIV tests without ever taking your name . You must go back to the clinic to get your results. A positive test means you have HIV. A negative test means no signs of HIV were found in your blood.

If your test comes back positive, your healthcare provider is likely to recommend other tests to assess your health. These may include a complete blood count , along with:

• Viral hepatitis screening.

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#make The Most Of The Days Or Times Of Sun

Vitamin D plays a fundamental role during pregnancy since it regulates the metabolism of calcium and other hormones, which is vital for the babys bone development. One of the main ways the body makes vitamin D is through sunlight. For this reason, during winter, it is advisable for the pregnant woman to be attentive to make the most of the days or times of sun, which are scarce at these times. The walks are also a great physical exercise. And, if they can be done in a park or other natural space, contact with the pure air and the elements multiply their benefits.

If contact with the sun is limited, both because of a terrible winter and because pregnancy requires a rest that makes walking difficult, it is advisable to consult your doctor if there is a need to take a vitamin D supplement.

What Behaviors Are The Most Risky For Getting Or Transmitting Hiv

Since there is a fairly high number of people who have HIV and dont know it, you should be tested for HIV so you know your status. Being intoxicated is risky because you are more likely to engage in risky sex if you are drunk or high. In terms of sex acts, anal sex and vaginal intercourse are the most risky behaviors.

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How Are Hiv And Aids Treated

Medicines can help people with HIV stay healthy. They can also prevent HIV from becoming AIDS. People with HIV and AIDS usually need to take a few different medicines. The medicines must be taken exactly as prescribed or they won’t work.

These medicines:

• help keep the number of CD4 cells high
• lower the viral load of HIV

Regular blood tests will check to see how well the medicines are working.

Get A Prescription For Prep

Short for pre-exposure prophylaxis, PrEP is a daily pill that can reduce a persons risk of contracting HIV by about 99 percent when taken daily, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . If you regularly have sex with someone who is HIV positive, have sex without using condoms, or share needles with others, PrEP can be a powerful tool for preventing the spread of HIV.

If you believe you were exposed to HIV during sex for example, if a sexual partner was recently diagnosed with HIV you can take emergency pills called PEP, or postexposure prophylaxis. A 28-day course of medication, PEP needs to be taken within three days after a potential infection to help block the virus from taking root in your body.

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I Am Hiv Positive How Can I Prevent Passing Hiv To Others

Take HIV medicines daily. Treatment with HIV medicines helps people with HIV live longer, healthier lives. ART can’t cure HIV, but it can reduce the amount of HIV in the body . One of the main goals of ART is to reduce a person’s viral load to an undetectable level. An undetectable viral load means that the level of HIV in the blood is too low to be detected by a viral load test. People with HIV who maintain an undetectable viral load have effectively no risk of transmitting HIV to an HIV-negative partner through sex.

Here are some other steps you can take to prevent HIV transmission:

• Use condoms correctly every time you have sex.
• Talk to your partner about taking PrEP.
• If you inject drugs, don’t share your needles, syringes, or other drug equipment with your partner.

What Are The Symptoms Of Hiv

Some people get flu-like symptoms a month or two after they have been infected. This is called the acute stage. These symptoms often go away within a week to a month.

You can have HIV for many years before feeling ill. This is called clinical latency or the chronic stage.

AIDS is the most severe stage of HIV infection. In this stage, the immune system has been weakened by the HIV virus and is less able to fight off infections. Opportunistic infections are infections that could generally be fought off by a healthy immune system. In order to be diagnosed with AIDS, you have to have fewer than 200 CD4 cells per cubic millimeter of blood , OR you must have developed what are called opportunistic infections or certain cancers. You can develop AIDS even if your CD4 count is not 200 or lower.

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How To Protect Yourself From Hiv/aids

• HIV & AIDS

How to Protect Yourself From HIV/AIDS. HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. It is the virus that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome or AIDS. AIDS attacks the bodys immune system, making the body vulnerable to many illnesses. HIV is spread when the blood, urine, feces or semen of an infected person enters an uninfected persons blood stream through cuts, scrapes, punctures, abrasions or tiny breaks in the skin. Read on to learn how to protect yourself from HIV/AIDS.

Things Youll Need

• Medical latex or non-latex gloves
• Fresh needles or syringes

• Condoms
• Spermicide

Tips & Warnings

• You cant get AIDS through casual contact such as shaking hands, giving a hug or sharing a meal, nor can you get AIDS from being bitten by a mosquito that has bitten someone with AIDS, swimming in the same pool as someone with HIV/AIDS or using the toilet after someone with HIV has used it.
• While traces of HIV have been found in saliva, sweat and tears, there is no evidence that the disease has ever been spread through contact with these bodily fluids. Thus, it is safe to dry the tears of a crying friend with HIV.

Ask Every Partner Before Having Sex Whether They Have Hiv

Communication is crucial. Before having sex with someone for the first time, make sure both of you have been tested recently for sexually transmitted infections , including HIV and other viruses. If your sexual partner is HIV positive, medications are available that can lower the risk that they will transmit the virus to you.

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How Is Transmission In The Workplace Prevented

The Centers for Disease Control recommend using routine practices to protect workers at risk from HIV exposure. This approach stresses that all situations involving contact with blood and certain other body fluids present a risk. Routine practices outline the use of barriers to prevent workplace exposure to HIV and other viruses. These barriers include the use of:

• engineering controls such as retractable needles
• safe work practices and administrative controls
• protective equipment such as gloves, gowns or aprons, masks, and protective eye wear.

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How Can I Reduce My Risk Of Getting Hiv

• Get tested for HIV. Talk to your partner about HIV testing and get tested before you have sex. Use this testing locator from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to find an HIV testing location near you.
• Choose less risky sexual behaviors. HIV is mainly spread by having anal or vaginal sex without a condom or without taking medicines to prevent or treat HIV.
• Use condoms every time you have sex. Read this fact sheet from CDC on how to use condoms correctly.
• Limit your number of sexual partners. The more partners you have, the more likely you are to have a partner with poorly controlled HIV or to have a partner with a sexually transmitted disease . Both of these factors can increase the risk of HIV transmission.
• Get tested and treated for STDs. Insist that your partners get tested and treated, too. Having an STD can increase your risk of getting HIV or spreading it to others.
• Talk to your health care provider about pre-exposure prophylaxis . PrEP is an HIV prevention option for people who don’t have HIV but who are at risk of getting HIV. PrEP involves taking a specific HIV medicine every day to reduce the risk of getting HIV through sex or injection drug use. For more information, read the ClinicalInfo fact sheet on Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis .
• Don’t inject drugs. But if you do, use only sterile drug injection equipment and water and never share your equipment with others.

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Who Are The Workers At Risk

All workers who are in contact with contaminated blood or other body fluids are at risk. Exposure to HIV in the workplace occurs through:

• skin and mucous membrane contact with blood and other body fluids of an infected person
• accidents with needles or other sharp instruments contaminated with the blood of an infected person

How To Prevent Spreading Hiv

EmailHIVHuman Immunodeficiency InfectionAIDSAcquired Immunodeficiency DisorderHow is HIV Spread?

1. How is HIV Spread through Sexual Intercourse

2. How is HIV Spread through Breast Feed and through Mothers to their Babies3. How is HIV spread through Blood?

• Sharing syringes and needles

• Rashes
• Fatigue

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How Much Risk Are You Comfortable With

Different people are comfortable with different levels of risk for HIV, STIs and other infections. You have the right to set your own boundaries for what you are comfortable with and decide what prevention method you use based on your boundaries. The people you have sex or use drugs with also have this right.

Think about your chance of getting HIV and other infections and how much risk you are comfortable with. If you are currently using a prevention strategy, think about how much it protects you against HIV and other infections. Consider whether you are comfortable with this level of protection. If you would like more protection, you might decide to make a change.

Filing A Discrimination Complaint With Doj

A person who believes that he or she is being or has been discriminated against because of HIV or AIDS by a public accommodation or a State or local government may file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice . Individuals are also entitled to bring private lawsuits under the ADA.

To file a complaint with DOJ, visit www.ada.gov/HIV

Complaints may also be sent as follows:

307-1197

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How Can I Know If I Have Hiv

The only way to know if you have HIV is to take an HIV test. Many medical groups recommend routine voluntary HIV screening of all patients aged 18 to 75 years of age as a normal part of medical care. The reason for this is that nearly one out of seven people infected with HIV are not aware that they have the infection.

How Can I Keep From Getting Hiv

The best way to protect yourself is to avoid activities that put you at risk. There’s no way to tell by looking at someone if he or she has HIV. Always protect yourself. Use latex condoms whenever you have any type of sex .

• Don’t use condoms made from animal products.
• Use water-based lubricants .
• Never share needles to take drugs.
• Avoid getting drunk or high. Intoxicated people might be less likely to protect themselves.
• Consider getting testedit is really important to be aware of your HIV status.

If you are a healthcare worker, you are at a slightly higher risk of getting HIV from a needle-stick injury, skin contact with contaminated fluid or from human bites. You should follow universal precautions:

• Always wear protective equipment when dealing with blood and body fluids.
• Follow careful hand-washing guidelines when dealing with such fluids.
• Follow safe handling guidelines for needles and sharp instruments.
• Be aware of post-exposure policies at your workplace.

If you are in a relationship with a partner who has HIV, or you are at high risk for any other reason, consider using pre-exposure prophylaxis, commonly called PrEP. This means taking one of two medicines every day, emtricitabine-tenofovir or emtricitabine-tenofovir alafen .

If you are a person with HIV who is in a relationship with a person who is HIV-negative, you should also be on a medication regimen.

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Should I Get Vaccines If I Have Hiv/aids

Check with your healthcare provider. Certain vaccines are generally recommended, including:

• Influenza vaccine.
• Human papillomavirus vaccine if you are age 26 or younger.
• Meningococcal series of shots.
• Pneumonia vaccine.
• Tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis vaccine, with a repeat every 10 years of the tetanus/diphtheria vaccine.

You should probably avoid live vaccines, such as the ones for chickenpox and measles, mumps and rubella . This is true especially if your CD4 numbers are 200 or lower. Make sure you discuss vaccine questions with your healthcare provider.

HIV can affect how well the vaccine works. It can also make your viral load increase for a time because your immune system is stimulated by the vaccine.

Know Your Partners Viral Load Count

For ART to be effective, your partner has to take the medication every day, at the same time each day. Skipping doses can cause the virus to replicate unchecked and possibly mutate into a form thats resistant to the medication. If that occurs, your partners viral load count may increase, which means there is a greater likelihood that the virus can be transmitted to you.

Encourage your partner to get their viral load tested at least twice a year, if not more often. If the results demonstrate undetectable levels of HIV, then Its pretty safe ,” says Monica Gandhi, MD, MPH, associate division chief of the division of HIV, infectious diseases, and global medicine at University of California, San Francisco/San Francisco General Hospital.

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