How to Avoid Getting HIV

HIV and AIDS are very serious diseases.Public knowledge and a heightened awareness of this epidemic will help curb and prevent people from contracting HIV. It has been estimated that nearly half of the worlds population will eventually die of HIV, if a cure for the disease is not found soon enough. No person is immune from HIV. It can and will infect anybody that has been exposed to the virus. The virus does not choose its victim, so adequate precautions are necessary and extremely important in order to control this epidemic. Increased awareness of sexual behavior is the key to prevention. Associated precautions concerning blood and blood related exposure is also essential. Not contracting it can help save millions, because HIV spreads exponentially. Here's how to help the non-infected population.

Steps

Don't have sex. Simply masturbate if you must. Abstinence is great to avoid contracting Hiv or AIDS. Make better use of your sexual fantasies, allowing them to play in your mind only. Sleeping with someone involves sleeping with their sexual history as well.

 If you must have sex, wear a condom. Take adequate precautions by ensuring that the condoms are not expired. Use good quality latex condoms that is unlikely to tear or break while having sex. Use water based lubricants if you must. Oil based lubricants used with latex condoms, render condoms unsafe. Latex condoms are easily damaged or susceptible to tearing or breaking when used with oil based lubricants.

 Avoid body piercing performed down the street at local body piercing outlets. Most frequently these outlets do not use safe, hygienic or sterile practices. Contaminated instruments will result in you being infected with Hiv. Ear piercing can also be done at reputable jewelry stores where people employ sterile ear piercing procedures.

 If you are a drug user, do not share needles and syringes. You will simply be injecting yourself with the Hiv virus. Sterile needles and syringes are available at pharmacies and clinics. Although drug use should not be condoned, your local pharmacy will sell them to you as a paying customer. The real reason behind the purchase need not be known.

 Abstain from oral sex without using condoms. The risk of contracting Hiv is much higher when practicing oral sex. The virus is present in its most concentrated form in the semen. Avoid brushing your teeth immediately before and after performing oral sex. Gum bleeding is usually increased with brushing, also creating a greater risk of infection and the virus entering your bloodstream

Refrain from practicing anal sex. The skin around the anus is most sensitive to tearing and being damaged. This allows the semen containing the virus to directly enter the blood stream.

Those already infected should be aware of re-infecting themselves. This may sound strange but even those already infected with Hiv can be re-infected. This mostly happens when some one re-infects themselves with a different strain of the Hiv virus. This can have serious repercussions if the individual is on treatment with anti -retrovirals. This simply means being on treatment to stabilize the immune system for full blown AIDS patients. The treatment may not be as effective for the newly infected virus and drug resistance is also most likely to develop. That is the treatment will not be as effective or may not work at all.

Tips

If you must have sex, practice it as safely as possible. Wear condoms at all times, or just masturbate, that's the safest sex of all.

Warnings

Always tell your partner beforehand, not doing so will result in an HIV-infected partner, and they will be very angry.

 

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