Ways to prevent HIV/AIDs

A very important means of tackling the HIV/AIDs epidemic is prevention. According to the UNAIDs Country Director, Nigeria, Dr Bilali Camara “Prevention is treatment.” The disease can be prevented by abstaining from sexual intercourse with an infected partner.     Also, when you keep to one sexual partner, you are less likely to contract the virus. […]

A very important means of tackling the HIV/AIDs epidemic is prevention. According to the UNAIDs Country Director, Nigeria, Dr Bilali Camara “Prevention is treatment.”
The disease can be prevented by abstaining from sexual intercourse with an infected partner.
    Also, when you keep to one sexual partner, you are less likely to contract the virus.
   Similarly, correct and consistent condom use can also help in the prevention of HIV.
However, experts say Latex condoms are highly effective at preventing transmission of HIV/AIDs and some other sexually transmitted diseases.
Other ways of preventing the virus includes avoiding the use of needles, injectables   and sharps objects that have been used by someone else.
Again, making sure blood is properly screened before transfusion can help prevent the virus.
Prevention of HIV from a mother to child is possible if the mother is placed on Prevention from Mother to Child Treatment (PMTC).
Pregnant HIV-infected women take HIV medicines during pregnancy and childbirth to reduce the risk of passing HIV to their babies. Their newborn babies also receive HIV medicine for six weeks after birth. The HIV medicine reduces the risk of infection from any HIV that may have entered a baby’s body during childbirth.
   Again, you can obtain medical treatment immediately if you think you were exposed to HIV. Sometimes, HIV medications can prevent infection if they are started quickly. This is called post-exposure prophylaxis.
HIV can spread only in certain body fluids from a person infected with HIV. These are blood, semen, pre-seminal fluids ,  vaginal fluids and breast milk. The spread of HIV is only possible if these fluids come in contact with a mucous membrane or damaged tissue or are directly injected into the bloodstream.
You cannot get HIV from casual contact with a person infected with HIV, for example from a handshake, a hug, or a perk. And you cannot get HIV from contact with objects such as toilet seats, doorknobs, or dishes used by a person infected with HIV.
The World Health Organisation says, “there is no cure for HIV infection. However, effective treatment with antiretroviral (ARV) drugs can control the virus so that people with HIV can enjoy healthy and productive lives.”