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HIV/AIDS and The Facts
California State University, Bakersfield Student Health Services (661) 654-2394
Why do I need to know about HIV/AIDS?
AIDS is a deadly disease that can affect your life and the lives of your partner and your children. HIV is one of the infections (diseases) which can spread between sex partners, through sharing needles, or from infected mothers to their children during pregnancy, birth and breast-feeding. Very simply, it is a disease that can damage the brain and destroy the body’s ability to fight off illness.
How do people get HIV?
A person can have HIV infection for many years without having AIDS or looking or feeling ill. During this time, however, people infected with HIV can pass the virus to others in three main ways: sex, blood and birth.
How do you get HIV from sex?
HIV infection can be spread by sexual intercourse with an infected person whether you are male or female, and whether your sexual partners are male or female. This happens because HIV is in the semen or vaginal fluids of infected people, and can enter the body through anal, vaginal, or oral intercourse.
How do you get HIV from blood?
People with HIV have it in their blood. When sharing injection needles, infected blood can be trapped in the needle/syringe and then injected directly into the bloodstream of the next person who uses the needle. People who become infected can spread the virus to their sex partner(s) or their unborn children.
How do babies get HIV from birth?
Babies can be born with the virus if the mother has been infected. An infected woman can give HIV to her baby before it is born, during birth or through breastfeeding.
Can you get HIV from everyday contact?
NO! You won’t get HIV through casual contact with people around you. You won’t get HIV by:
· Shaking hands
· Hugging
· Swimming in a pool
· Using a public restroom
· Giving blood
How can HIV be prevented?
The best way to prevent STDs, including HIV, is to abstain. The next best thing is to have protected sex only with one mutually faithful, uninfected partner and to not shoot drugs. Condoms and dental dams have been shown to protect against the spread of HIV when used correctly. Condoms or dental dams should always be used during sex (anal, oral, or vaginal).
When using a condom, you should remember these guidelines.
1. Use condoms made of latex rubber, not lambskin.
2. A condom with spermicide may provide extra protection. Check the label.
3. Condom use is safer with water-based lubricant. Do not use petroleum-based jelly, cold cream, baby oil, etc. These can weaken the condom and cause it to break.
Many drug users are addicted and need to enter a drug treatment program as quickly as possible. In the meantime, people must avoid HIV/AIDS by not sharing any of the equipment used to prepare or inject drugs. At the very least, drug use equipment should be cleaned before each use with bleach and water.
USE A CONDOM/DENTAL DAMN—DON’T USE DRUGS—DON’T SHARE WORKS
What about testing?
You may want to be tested if you have had any sexually transmitted diseases or shared needles, or if you have had sex without using a condom. You should consider testing if you had sex with anyone who has done any of these things.
HIV Prevention Resources
Local Organizations:
California State University, Bakersfield
Student Health Services
(661)-654-2394
Kern County Department of Public Health
AIDS Education Department
(661) 868-0327
Bakersfield AIDS Foundation
(661) 663-1232
Bakersfield AIDS Project
(661) 325-1227
Hotlines:
Southern California HIV/AIDS Hotline
1-800-400-7432 (Bilingual English/Spanish)
1-800-367-AIDS (Toll-free in California)
CSUB Student Health Center 8/05 ED
