HIV/AIDS

Every year, nearly 9 million people under the age of 25 get a new STI (sexually transmitted infection).¹ One of these infections is HIV/AIDS. If you've had sex, you could have an STI. Some STIs cause symptoms. Others don't. You could have one and not even know it. Some STIs make you sick today and others can cause problems later in life. These include serious problems like cancer or infertility. Some can even kill you.

What is HIV/AIDS and how do you get it?

HIV is a virus that invades the immune system and slowly destroys it. This reduces your ability to fight off infections and cancer. Without treatment, people with HIV develop AIDS, which is fatal.

You can get HIV from having sex with an infected person. Some infected people have no symptoms. But, even without symptoms, they can pass on HIV. You can also get HIV from contact with infected blood. Your risk is greatly increased if you have multiple sex partners or shoot drugs. Babies can get it from their mothers during pregnancy or childbirth. You can't get HIV from casual contact such as shaking hands or hugging.

Am I safe if I only have oral or anal sex?

Anal sex is extremely risky for passing HIV. HIV can probably be passed during oral sex.²

What happens if I'm infected?

At first, you will probably have brief flu-like symptoms (tiredness, fever, aches). You may have no other symptoms for years. Even with no symptoms, you can still pass on the disease during sex. If you go on to get AIDS, you may get cancers or multiple infections that other people fight off easily.

How do you treat HIV/AIDS?

If you have HIV, you can prolong your life by taking daily medicine for the rest of your life. However, the drugs are expensive and have significant side effects. If you are pregnant, there are very good drugs to reduce your baby's chance of getting HIV. You should also talk to your doctor about other precautions for your baby.

Am I safe if I always use a condom?

Condoms work pretty well, but not perfectly, for reducing your chance of getting HIV during vaginal sex. If you always use condoms for vaginal sex, you can cut your chance of getting HIV by about 85%.^3,4 However, this still leaves you with a significant chance of getting HIV. To date, there is no evidence that condoms reduce your chance of getting HIV during oral sex.⁵ However, there is some evidence that always using condoms for anal sex may cut your chance of getting HIV by up to half.⁶

What can I do to avoid getting infected?

Don't shoot drugs. Avoid sexual activity if you are single. Be faithful to one uninfected partner for the rest of your life. Already had sex? See a doctor and get checked out.

References

1 Weinstock H, Berman S, Cates W Jr. Sexually transmitted diseases among American youth: incidence and prevalence estimates, 2000. Perspect Sex Reprod Health. 2004;36(1):6-10.

2 Hawkins DA. Oral sex and HIV transmission. Sex Transm Infect. 2001;77(5):307-308.

3 National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Workshop Summary: Scientific Evidence on Condom Effectiveness for Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Prevention. Bethesda, MD: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; 2001.

4 Weller S, Davis K. Condom effectiveness in reducing heterosexual HIV transmission. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2002;(1):CD003255.

5 Celentano DD, Sifakis F, Hylton J, Torian LV, Guillin V, Koblin BA. Race/ethnic differences in HIV prevalence and risks among adolescent and young adult men who have sex with men. J Urban Health. 2005;82(4):610-621.

6 Saracco A, Musicco M, Nicolosi A, et al. Man-to-woman sexual transmission of HIV: longitudinal study of 343 steady partners of infected men. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 1993;6(5):497-502.

Authored by: Sheetal Malhotra, MBBS, MS

Date: May 2007

Reviewed by: Kate Hendricks, MD, MPH&TM

Date: May 2007

Revised by: Jennifer A. Shuford, MD, MPH

Date: December 2009