HIV & AIDS Update:
Your Sexual Health
Disease Transmission
Prevention
Testing
Presenter: Judy Thorne, MPA
HIV Education Coordinator
Master of Public Health Program
Idaho State University/Meridian
Information is vital
As teenagers, you will be facing
many new decisions in your life
Understanding what can put you at
risk for disease is very important
None of this is meant to scare you – remember,
knowledge is very empowering
You can also be an informed educator to others
Who can tell me what the
letters HIV and AIDS each
stand for?
HIV: Human Immunodeficiency
Virus
AIDS: Acquired Immunodeficiency
Syndrome
OK, now what does each of these
mean?
HIV can harm
you because it
attacks your
body’s immune
system
True or False
A low immune system can allow
opportunistic infections to invade
your body
This is called AIDS
True
AIDS is a stage of disease where your
immune (T, CD4, helper) cells drop
below the level of 200 cells per mm
blood (a healthy person has about 800)
and your body cannot fight off simple
infections
Medications today can help people with both HIV and AIDS
live much longer than they used to
Origins of HIV
Likely resulted from hybridization
(merging) of two simian (monkey)
viruses
HIV moved to humans in Africa
around 1930 or earlier
HIV and SIV
HIV-2
SIV-2
HIV-1
Sooty Mangabeys
SIV-1
Chimpanzees
Adults and Children Living with
HIV/AIDS
N. America
1.2 million
Caribbean
420,000
Latin America
1.5 million
Western Europe
550,000
North Africa
500,000
Eastern Europe
1 million
Asia & Pacific
6.6 million
Sub-Saharan
Africa 28.5 million
Australia & New
Zealand 15,000
Total: 40+ million
Data from UNAIDS
U.S. cases
OVER 56,000 new infections
every year in the U.S.
Most infections are found in
people ages 13-29 years
HIV in Idaho – Prevalence
(*estimate additional 20-25% undiagnosed)
HIV
District
District
District
District
District
District
District
* Total
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
AIDS
62
33
68
265
54
69
45
596
1165
(As of June 30, 2009)
75
38
81
223
61
51
40
569
True or False
Most cases of HIV infection in
Idaho occur in older people
ages 40-49 years
FALSE
41% of the cases of HIV infection in
Idaho occur in ages 20-29 years
and
15% of AIDS cases are in this
age group
What is HIV
Life Cycle of HIV-1
Ways to transmit HIV
Unprotected sexual activity
Internet chat-rooms have become a place where people
are meeting and this is leading to HIV transmissions
Needle sharing and other “works”
Needle sticks or exposure to blood
Mother-child
Blood transfusions
OK,
Now that you know how you can
get HIV, how do you think you
could prevent it?
Abstinence (not engaging in sex)
• Don’t assume everyone has the same definition of
abstinence – your partner’s past behaviors could put
you at risk. Some couples get tested together.
• Surf the internet only with your parent’s OK - use good
judgment and don’t put yourself at risk!
Someday, if/when you choose to
engage in sex, use protection
(condoms: both male and female)
Avoid drugs and alcohol
When the time comes in your life,
get tested before you have a baby
True or False
If you knew someone who was HIV+,
you could get HIV from coming into
contact with their
sweat, urine or tears
False
The only bodily fluids that can transmit
HIV are:
Blood
Semen
Vaginal fluid
Breast milk
Other bodily fluids only if there was blood
present/visible
Don’t be afraid to kiss, hug, or share food with someone who
has HIV
HIV and AIDS
Lesson 2
Disease symptoms
Window period of the virus
Rapid testing
Question for candy…
Who can be affected by HIV?
Answer…
Anyone!
If they engage in unprotected sex or
share drug use equipment
Any age, any gender, anyone
People close to them are also
affected by this disease
Early HIV Infection
Symptoms present days to weeks
after initial exposure
Most common presentation is
• Fever, fatigue, headache, and rash
HIV Window Period
What is it?
This is the time it takes for the virus
to actually show up in your body
after exposure
This can take up to 3 months
Who can tell me why this would even
be important to know?
It’s important because:
The sooner someone knows that they
have HIV, the sooner they can
receive proper medical care
It is less likely that the virus will be
transmitted to others if it is known
How can someone get tested for
HIV?
Idaho law allows 14 years and older to
obtain STD tests without parental
permission (not saying you should do this, just providing
you with information – very important to have a support system)
Conventional blood tests
(results in 10 days – 2 weeks)
HIV antibody rapid tests
(results in 12-20 minutes)
let’s check out how this works…
Importance of HIV Diagnosis
Early Intervention services
• Improved quality of life
• Avoid complications
• Healthcare maintenance
Prevent transmission
Chronic infection
Transmission to others
HIV Services
HIV Services Clinic, Boise
• Sky Blue, MD Director
• Established 1998
• Ryan White Grantee
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Counseling and confidential testing
Comprehensive medical care
Case management
Adherence counseling
Mental health
Support groups
Clinical trials
Summary:
How does HIV
spread?
Through unprotected sex
and
injection
drug use
Bodily fluids that can
transmit HIV are blood,
semen, vaginal fluid, and
breast milk
Be informed and educate
others!
