Facts Every Parent Should Know Regarding HIV/AIDS

• HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is the virus that can cause AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). Individuals who are infected with HIV can pass it to other individuals by sharing IV drug needles and other equipment, by having sexual contact where there are vaginal secretions or semen is released, or by allowing their blood to enter into an open wound of another person. There is a risk of HIV infection from tattooing and body piercing when contaminated instruments and needles are used. Pregnant women who are infected can pass HIV to their fetus in the womb and/or during birth. Also, infected mothers who breast-feed their babies can transmit the virus.

• Abstinence is the only true way to avoid sexually transmitted HIV infection.

• Anyone who engages in sexual intercourse outside of a long-term monogamous relationship is at risk for receiving HIV and unknowingly passing it to someone else.

• HIV can be carried by an infected person for as long as 10-12 years before he or she may develop the life-threatening diseases associated with AIDS. Individuals infected with HIV can transmit the virus to another person at any stage of their illness. They may not even know that they have HIV and will not know without a blood test. Today there are medical treatments that can slow down the rate at which HIV weakens the immune system. There are other treatments that can prevent or cure some of the illnesses associated with AIDS, though the treatments do not cure AIDS itself.

• The diagnosis of AIDS occurs when the HIV-infected person’s level of CD4+ T-cells in the immune system drops below 200 cells per cubic millimeter of blood or an infection develops that a person with a normal healthy immune system could resist. These infections are called “opportunistic infections.” The most common are PCP (pneumocystis carinii pneumonia), Kaposi’s sarcoma, uncontrollable herpes, and candida or yeast infections.

• Blood testing for HIV is 99% accurate. The test for the presence of HIV in the blood is actually a test of the number of antibodies the infected person is producing to fight the virus. The average time for antibodies to reach a detectable level is 8-12 weeks. However, it may take as long as 1-3 years to detect the presence of HIV in the blood. During this time, an infected individual whose tests are negative is still capable of infecting others.

• As a result of the testing of donated blood, transfusions given today are considered safe. Prior to 1985 when testing of blood for HIV began, persons receiving transfusions for trauma, major surgeries, hemophilia, etc., may have been infected and tested positive for HIV.

• People with HIV live in every state in the United States and in other countries of the world. People with HIV look like anyone else. People from the city, the country, and the suburbs have HIV. People of all races and all ages can have HIV.

• The tendency can be great to avoid discussion regarding homosexual activity with your child can be great. However, a frank discussion about the transmission of the virus through sexual contact provides your child with factual information, and giving the facts will not necessarily open a discussion on homosexual behavior. You should use your own discretion on these topics and clearly state your value system and feelings to your child.

• Since blood is the other major way of spreading HIV, education about IV drug use should be stressed. Children who experiment with IV drug use would more than likely share needles, since this equipment is not easy for them to obtain. More child-oriented, blood-sharing activities include “blood brothers,” tattoos, and home ear piercing. The dangers of these activities need to be stressed as any blood transmission from one person to another can spread the virus.

• There are no documented cases of HIV being transmitted during participation in sports. The very low risk of transmission during sports participation would involve sports with direct body contact in which bleeding might be expected to occur.

• There are conflicting studies and statistics regarding the failure rate of condoms. If you wish to discuss condoms with your children, you should keep in mind that few sexually active teenagers use condoms consistently and correctly. In your discussion, you should include the following information:

• Condoms are not 100 percent effective in preventing HIV and other STDs.
  
• Condoms can be damaged through storage in a wallet or glove compartment.
  
• Condoms must be used consistently and correctly to provide maximum protection.
  
• Any sexual contact with an HIV-infected person is never safe.

• being near, touching, or shaking hands with an infected person
  
• eating in a restaurant
  
• using public restrooms, water fountains, and telephones
  
• caring for a person with HIV/AIDS if proper procedures are used
  
• donating blood
  
• being bitten by mosquitoes and other insects.

Revised January 2002. Information from the following sources: AIDS - A Guide to Survival; The Houston Academy of Medicine; Eastern Virginia Medical School; Virginia Beach Public Health Department; U.S. Department of Public Health; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention