HIV and AIDS

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HIV and AIDS
How can you protect yourself from HIV infection?
Making responsible decisions about personal
behaviors is the most valuable tool you can use
for protection against HIV infection.
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Lesson Objectives
In this lesson, youll learn to

• Explain how HIV affects and destroys the immune
  system.
• Identify behaviors known to transmit HIV.
• Analyze the relationship between unsafe
  behaviors, refusal skills, and the risk of HIV.

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Teens at Risk
HIV Infection Among Teens

• Teens have one of the fastest growing rates of
  human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.
• Many young adults who are currently dying from
  acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) were
  infected in their teens.
• Teens who choose abstinence from sexual activity
  and from injecting drugs greatly reduce their
  risk of HIV infection.

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HIV and the Human Body
How HIV Infects the Human Body

• When HIV enters the blood, it invades certain
  cells of the immune system, including T cells,
  which help other lymphocytes identify and destroy
  pathogens.
• The viruses take over the cells, cause them to
  produce new copies of themselves, and the newly
  produced viruses break out of the cell,
  destroying them.
• The new viruses infect other cells, and then the
  process repeats itself.

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HIV and the Human Body
How HIV Attacks Cells
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HIV and the Human Body
HIV Infection and AIDS

• HIV infection is progressive that is, it
  destroys the cells of the immune system over many
  months or years.
• As the number of viruses increases, the body
  becomes susceptible to common infections and to
  opportunistic infections.
• Being infected with HIV does not necessarily mean
  that an individual has AIDS.
• AIDS is the advanced stage of HIV infection.

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How HIV Is Transmitted
Nature of the HIV Virus

• The HIV organism lives inside cells and body
  fluids.
• It doesnt survive well in the air or on surfaces
  such as toilet seats or telephones.
• It cannot be transmitted through food.
• HIV can be transmitted from an infected person to
  an uninfected person only through blood, semen,
  vaginal secretions, and breast milk.

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How HIV Is Transmitted
Transmitting HIV Through Sexual Intercourse

• HIV can be transmitted during any form of sexual
  intercourse.
• During intercourse, secretions containing HIV can
  enter a partners blood through tiny cuts in the
  body.
• The risks of HIV infection increase with the
  number of people with whom a person is or has
  been sexually active.
• Having an STD that causes sores, including
  chlamydia, genital herpes, gonorrhea, or
  syphilis, increases the risk of HIV.

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How HIV Is Transmitted
Transmitting HIV by Sharing Needles

• If a person who is infected with HIV injects
  drugs, the needle or syringe can become
  contaminated with that persons blood.
• Anyone who uses that same needle or syringe can
  inject HIV directly into his or her bloodstream.
• Injections under the skin or in the muscle also
  can spread HIV.

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How HIV Is Transmitted
Transmitting HIV from Mother to Baby

• A pregnant female who is infected with HIV can
  pass the virus to her baby.
• HIV in the mothers blood can be transmitted
  through the umbilical cord and during delivery.
• Because breast milk can contain HIV, a baby can
  receive HIV while nursing.

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Quick Review
Provide a short answer to the question given
below.
Q. Describe the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the teen
population.
Click Next to view the answer.
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Quick Review - Answer
A. The rate of HIV infection is increasing
because of high-risk behaviors such as injecting
drugs and engaging in unprotected sexual activity.
Click Next to attempt another question.
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Quick Review
Provide a short answer to the question given
below.
Q. How does HIV attack the immune system?
Click Next to view the answer.
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Quick Review - Answer
A. HIV enters cells of the immune system, where
it makes more viruses that break away and attack
other cells.
Click Next to attempt another question.
15
Quick Review
Provide a short answer to the question given
below.
Q. How is HIV transmitted?
Click Next to view the answer.
16
Quick Review - Answer
A. HIV is transmitted through sexual intercourse,
sharing contaminated needles, and from mother to
baby.
Click Next to attempt another question.
17
Quick Review
Provide a suitable analysis.
Analyze the relationship between unsafe
behaviors, refusal skills, and the risk of HIV.