Health Promotion

• HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus
• It weakens the body's natural defences against infection
• It is possible to have HIV for many years before it does enough damage to make a person ill

• AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
• It is the name for a group of unusual infections and cancers that people become more vulnerable to the longer they have HIV
• Since HIV weakens the immune system, people with HIV are less able to stop organisms developing into diseases. Therefore, AIDS infections have the opportunity to cause serious illness and death

NO! There are no vaccines either. HIV can be slowed down, but it can't be stopped altogether. The right combination of drugs can slow down the damage, which HIV does to the immune system, and delay the onset of AIDS.

This is called Combination Therapy and has improved the quality of life for many people living with HIV.

Worldwide

• Over 34 million people have HIV/AIDS
• In 1999, 5.4 million people were newly infected with HIV
• 2.8 million people died from AIDS in 1999
• Since the beginning of the epidemic, 18.8 million people have died from AIDS
• 13.2 million children have become orphans due to AIDS

In the UK

• At the end of 1998, it was estimated that 30,000 people were living with HIV/AIDS. Ten thousand of those, did not know they were infected
• HIV diagnosis in 1999 was 2908, its highest level of new diagnosis since 1985
• In the UK alone, there were 419 deaths in 1999 from HIV/AIDS

You Can Not Get HIV Though:

• Kissing, hugging
• Touching, shaking hands
• Sharing crockery and cutlery
• Coughing or sneezing
• Contact with toilet seats
• Insect or animal bites
• Swimming in a pool
• Eating food prepared by someone with HIV

There are 4 Main Ways of Contracting HIV:

• By having sex without a condom with someone who has HIV
• By sharing needles or other drug injecting equipment that contains traces of HIV infected blood
• A pregnant woman with HIV can pass it on to her child during pregnancy, during birth or through breastfeeding
• By receiving infected blood or donated organs. In the UK the chance of this happening is remote as these items are screened for HIV and infected materials destroyed

Some people think that AIDS is something that other people need to worry about - gays, drug users, people who sleep around. These ideas are Mistaken. Your chance of becoming infected depends entirely on how you behave, not who you are. Changing behaviour can stop the spread of HIV and Save Lives.

• An HIV test is a simple blood test which looks for the antibodies produced by the immune system in response to HIV that has entered the body
• Remember, It takes up to 3 months for these antibodies to show up in the body. To get a reliable result, you need to wait 3 months from the time when you think you may have been exposed to HIV
• In the UK, all GUM (Genito-Urinary Medicine) clinics offer an HIV test. Ring your local hospital for your nearest GUM clinic. For information, advice and support regarding the HIV test, call the National AIDS Helpline on 0800 567123. It's free and confidential.

For Free, Confidential information about HIV and AIDS or sexual health matters, ring 0800 567123. This is a 24 hour, 7 day a week service

Local agencies

The Crescent
19 Russell Avenue
St. Albans
Telephone 01727 842532

Drug Care
29 Upper Lattimore Road
St. Albans
Telephone: 01727 834539

National Drugs Helpline:
0800 77 66 00