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4. Overview
5. Prevention

Prevention

Preventing Sexual Transmission

There are a number of ways to prevent HIV infection—yet an estimated 56,300 people in the United States are newly infected with HIV each year.

You can protect yourself from HIV/AIDS by:

• Abstinence—that means you do not have sexual contact (oral, anal, or vaginal) with other people or share needles or other drug-related materials
• Being faithful—that means you are in a relationship where neither of you has other sexual partners or uses injection drugs—and both of you have tested negative for HIV
• Condoms—that means you use a condom correctly and consistently, every time you have sex

If you are not having sexual contact of any kind (oral, anal, or vaginal), or taking injection drugs, you are generally at no risk for HIV. (Healthcare workers who come in contact with bodily fluids may be at risk in their jobs.)

If you are in a mutually monogamous relationship and you have both tested negative for HIV, then you are not at risk for HIV infection.

If you don’t know your partner’s HIV status, or can’t be sure that your partner is faithful, the best way to protect yourself from HIV is to use a fresh condom each and every time you have sex.

It is important to use a condom correctly. If you use a condom incorrectly, it can break or slip, which would expose you and your partner to the risk of infection.

The more sexual partners you have, the greater the odds you will contract a sexually transmitted disease (STD), including HIV, regardless of how often you use a condom because no protective method is 100% guaranteed. But condoms can be greater than 98% effective when used consistently and correctly.

Preventing Transmission by Injection Drug Use

If you use needles and syringes to inject drugs, steroids, or for tattooing and piercing, don’t share your equipment. Many people have been infected with HIV, Hepatitis C, and other viruses and bacteria this way. Blood from an infected person can stay in a needle and then be injected directly into the next person who uses the needle.

Preventing Mother-to-Child Transmission

If you are pregnant, or think you might be, please talk to a doctor or your local health department about getting an HIV test. If you are HIV-positive and pregnant, there are medications that can dramatically reduce the chance of passing HIV to your baby.

Testing and Intervention

Early testing and intervention can help prevent the spread of HIV—and prolong your life if you have it. Researchers estimate that over 20% of HIV infections are transmitted by people who do not know they have HIV.

Testing and education are important! If you have HIV, you can learn how to protect your partner(s) and get medical care that will help keep you healthy.