Since the beginning of the epidemic, prevention measures for HIV have remained unchanged. As research uncovers more about genetic differences that seem to account for why some HIV-positive persons never develop symptoms, new avenues will open up for vaccine development.
Work also is progressing on development of a microbicide that can protect women from HIV, possibly without killing sperm. As with a vaccine, however, a preventive measure women can control is years away.
The means of preventing HIV are simple. It's the behavior change that is so hard and so critical.
To prevent HIV infection, you have to avoid behavior
that might result in contact with blood, semen, vaginal secretions
or body fluids with visible blood.
Specifically, use latex condoms if you're having sex with anyone who might be infected with HIV, and do not share "drug injection supplies." You can take the following prevention measures to avoid getting the virus:
* Ask about the sexual history of current and future sex partners.
* Reduce the number of sex partners.
* Always use a condom from start to finish during any type of sex (vaginal, anal and oral). Use latex condoms rather than natural membrane condoms. If used properly, latex condoms offer good protection against sexually transmitted disease agents, including HIV.
* Use only water-based lubricants. Do not use oil-based lubricants such as petroleum jelly or vegetable shortening. If you decide to use a spermicide along with a condom, it is preferable to use it in the vagina according to the manufacturer's instructions.
* Do not do anything that could tear the skin or moist lining of the genitals, anus or mouth and cause bleeding.
* Condoms should be used even for oral sex.
* Trauma to the mouth caused by rough kissing or other intimate activities, could result in the exchange of blood. It is safe, however, to hug, cuddle, rub or dry kiss your partner.
* Avoid alcohol and illicit drugs. Alcohol and drugs can impair your immune system and your judgment. If you use drugs, do not share "injecting drug works." Do not share needles, syringes or cookers.
* Do not share personal items such as toothbrushes, razors and devices used during sex that may be contaminated with blood, semen, or vaginal fluids.
For women who have sex with other women (WSW), the risk of HIV transmission is small. However, surveys of risk behaviors within some WSW groups indicate relatively high rates of high-risk behaviors, such as injection drug use and unprotected vaginal sex with gay/bisexual men and injection drug users.
To minimize risk of infection from woman to woman you should know that::
* Knowledge of your own and your partner's HIV status can help you, if you are uninfected, take steps to reduce your risk of becoming infected. Knowing your own HIV status can also assist you in getting early treatment and avoiding infecting others.
* Exposure of a mucous membrane, such as the mouth, (especially non-intact tissue) to vaginal secretions and menstrual blood is potentially infectious, particularly during early and late-stage HIV infection when the amount of virus in the blood is expected to be highest.
* Condoms should be used consistently and correctly each and every time for sexual contact with men or when using sex toys with men or women. Sex toys should not be shared. No barrier methods for use during oral sex have been evaluated as effective or approved by the FDA. However, women can use dental dams, cut-open condoms or plastic wrap to help protect themselves from contact with body fluids during oral sex.
For those already infected, combinations of new antiviral drugs may decrease one's ability to transmit the virus to a partner. The concept is only theoretical at this time but research has shown, for example, that the drugs reduce the amount of virus in semen and vaginal secretions. Until the impact of treatment on transmission has been determined by large studies, this should not be considered a form of prevention.
Research has proven that drugs can prevent mother-to-infant transmission. Without preventive therapy, about 25 percent of all HIV-positive pregnant women in developed countries passed the virus on to their babies.
When women and their infants receive the antiretroviral drug, AZT, the risk of transmission is lowered nearly three fold. The availability of an effective means of preventing perinatal infection has led to routine HIV screening of pregnant women in the U.S.
Today, less than five percent of pregnant women treated with multiple anti-HIV drugs pass the virus to their newborns.
From The Women's Health Resource Center
