What You Can Do to Protect Yourself and Others from HIV/AIDS

How Does AIDS Affect You?

You may think that AIDS doesn't affect you. But if you don't know someone infected with HIV, chances are that you will soon. Approximately 1 million Americans are infected with HIV -- about 1 in every 250 people. Each year, as many as 40,000 to 80,000 Americans become infected with HIV.

AIDS can affect anyone: male or female, married or single, young or old, rich or poor, in any community in the country, including smaller cities and towns. This makes AIDS a problem for all of us.

What Can One Person Do?

Every American can get involved in the fight to prevent HIV infection and AIDS. First, educate yourself. Make choices that will keep you healthy--and may even save your life. Then, help others learn about HIV prevention. Together, we can stop one of the country's most serious health problems.

How Can You Get Started?

Getting involved is easy. All you need is a desire to learn and help. You can join or start projects that involve your family, school, community, worksite, congregation, or the media.

Take Action to Protect Yourself

To prevent the spread of AIDS, your first priority should be protecting yourself from HIV infection. Understand the disease. Learn and practice safer behaviors. This will help you lead a healthy life.

What You Can Do

• Learn basic facts about how you can and cannot become infected with HIV. Knowing the facts can help you protect yourself and reduce fears about contracting HIV through usual contact.

• Assess your personal risk for HIV infection. Evaluate any current and past sexual and drug-using behaviors. Call the CDC National AIDS Hotline 1-800-342-AIDS, for a copy of the HIV INFECTION AND AIDS: ARE YOU AT RISK? brochure.

• Seek counseling and testing of you think you could be infected. To find local facilities that provide these services, contact your health department, a local AIDS service organization, or the CDC National AIDS Hotline.

• Avoid risky behaviors and practice safer sexual behaviors. You may decide not to have sex or to limit your number of sex partners to one mutually faithful, uninfected person. If your sexual behavior places you at risk, latex condoms used every time you have sex can reduce, but not eliminate, the risk of HIV.

• Be aware of the risks of sharing needles and other drug equipment. If you use drugs, enroll in a treatment program. Try to quit. If you cannot stop right away, don't share needles or syringes with anyone.

• Avoid excess alcohol and any use of cocaine, marijuana, and other drugs that may affect your judgment. Under their influence, you may practice unsafe behaviors, putting yourself at risk of HIV infection.

Talk with Your Family and Friends

Help your loved ones avoid behaviors that may put them at risk of HIV infection. Share the facts about HIV and AIDS. Just by talking, you may help save their lives.

What You Can Do

• If you are a parent, talk to your children about AIDS. Explain the risks of using drugs and becoming sexually active. Discuss how to prevent HIV infection and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). For advice, call the CDC National AIDS Hotline for an AIDS PREVENTION GUIDE.

• Share HIV prevention information with your friends. Discuss the facts in casual conversations. You may start a discussion by bringing up a news story about AIDS.

• Discuss HIV infection openly with your sex partner. You have choices when making decisions about sexual activity.

• Correct misinformation about HIV and AIDS. Speak up when family and friends don't know the facts.

Each year, Medical College of Wisconsin physicians care for more than 180,000 patients, representing nearly 500,000 patient visits. Medical College physicians practice at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital, the Milwaukee VA Medical Center, and many other hospitals and clinics in Milwaukee and southeastern Wisconsin.