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
Eastern Europe
Western Europe
1 million
N. America 550,000
1.2 million

North Africa Asia & Pacific

Caribbean 6.6 million
500,000
420,000

Sub-Saharan
Latin America Africa 28.5 million
1.5 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 AIDS

 District 1 62 75
 District 2 33 38
 District 3 68 81
 District 4 265 223
 District 5 54 61
 District 6 69 51
 District 7 45 40
* Total 596 569
1165

(As of June 30, 2009)

 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!