HIV/AIDS

According to the Centers for Disease Control, at the end of 2003, an estimated 1,039,000 to 185,000 persons in the United States were living with HIV/AIDS.  In 2005, 38,096 cases of  HIV/AIDS in adults, adolescents, and children were diagnosed, and an estimated 40,000 persons in the United States become infected with HIV each year.  For African Americans, the news is not good.  In 2005, African Americans, who make up approximately 12% of the US population, accounted for almost half of the estimated number of HIV/AIDS cases diagnosed – that’s right – 49% of all new cases in 2005 were African Americans – a daunting number and an issue worth spending some time on.

The Facts

Your risk of getting HIV or passing it to someone else depends on several things – but here are the things you can do to prevent becoming infected:

• Abstain from sex (do not have sex of any kind) until you are in a relationship with only one person, are having sex with only each other, and you know your own and your partner’s HIV status. 
• If both you and your partner have HIV, use condoms to prevent other STDs and possible infection with a different strain of HIV.
• If only one of you has HIV, use a latex condom and lubricant every time you have sex.
• Even if you think you have low risk for HIV infection, consider getting tested whenever you have a regular medical check-up -  AND - If you have, or plan to have more than one sex partner, consider the following:
  • If you are a man who has had sex with other men, get tested at least once a year.
    
  • If you are a woman who is planning to get pregnant or who is pregnant, get tested as soon as possible, before you have your baby.
  • Talk about HIV and other STDs with each partner before you have sex.
    
  • Learn as much as you can about each partner’s past behavior (sex and drug use), and consider the risks to your health before you have sex.
• Do not inject illicit drugs (drugs not prescribed by a doctor). You can get HIV through needles, syringes, and other instruments if they are contaminated with the blood of someone else who has HIV.  Drugs also cloud your mind, which may result in riskier sex.

From 4/2-4/6, we will be doing free individual risk assessments and distributing free condoms.  If you would like to be tested for HIV or any other STIs, please call 312-996-2000 to make an appointment.  We are very serious about confidentiality. Our mission is to serve your health care needs and hopefully, help educate you on how to prevent contracting an STI.