Precautions to be taken to avoid HIV

HIV can be transmitted in three main ways:

1.Sexual transmission

2.Transmission through blood

3.Mother-to-child transmission

Prevention is needed for both

People who do not have HIV need interventions that will enable them to protect themselves from becoming infected.

People who are already living with HIV need knowledge and support to protect their own health and to ensure that they don’t transmit HIV to others - known as “positive prevention”. Positive prevention has become increasingly important as improvements in treatment have led to a rise in the number of people living with HIV.

For people who do not have HIV following are some precautions to be taken.

Abstinence. Refraining from sexual activity is the surest way of preventing sexually transmitted HIV infection.

Know the HIV status of your partner. It is best to maintain a monogamous, long-term relationship with a partner who has been tested and found to be free from HIV.

If you and your partner are both infected with HIV, always use a latex condom to prevent other STDs.

If one of you is infected with HIV, use a latex condom and a lubricant during sex.

If you plan on having more than one sex partner, get tested for HIV

Women who plan on becoming pregnant, or who are pregnant, should be tested before they have the infant.

For the people who have HIV infection shall remember following things

HIV counselling and testing are fundamental for HIV prevention. People living with HIV are less likely to transmit the virus to others if they know they are infected and if they have received counselling about safer behaviour. For example, a pregnant woman who has HIV will not be able to benefit from interventions to protect her child unless her infection is diagnosed. Those who discover they are not infected can also benefit, by receiving counselling on how to remain uninfected. The availability and accessibility of antiretroviral treatment is crucial; it enables people living with HIV to enjoy longer, healthier lives, and as such acts as an incentive for HIV testing. Continued contact with health care workers also provides further opportunities for prevention messages and interventions. Studies suggest that HIV-positive people may be less likely to engage in risky behaviour if they are enrolled in treatment programmes.

The preventative effect of antiretroviral treatment is another reason for scaling up access to HIV treatment. Since 2008 and the Swiss Statement (for more information read AVERT's HIV transmission and antiretroviral therapy briefing sheet), a number of studies have shown that an HIV positive person on antiretroviral treatment with an undetectable viral load has a very low risk of transmitting HIV to someone else.