Introduction to HIV/AIDS: What You Need to Know

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Becky Kuhn, M.D., co-founder of Global Lifeworks, covers critical basic information about HIV and AIDS. HIV is a virus that causes the disease AIDS, which can be fatal. There are treatments but no cure. HIV is spread by contact between body fluids (blood, semen, vaginal fluids, and breast milk) and mucous membranes (eyes, nose, mouth, and genitals). It is spread by sexual contact, injection drugs users sharing needles, from mother to child during childbirth or nursing, and (early on during the epidemic) by receiving blood transfusions. You can reduce your risk by abstaining from sex before marriage, being faithful to a single partner and using a condom and/or dental dam if you are sexually active, and by never injecting drugs or by never sharing needles if you do. It can take up to six months after exposure to HIV for a person to test HIV positive; even before they test HIV postive, the infected person can spread the disease to others. A doctor can prescribe antiretroviral (ARV) drugs to prevent HIV from progressing to clinical AIDS. It is critical to take every ARV dose on schedule to avoid developing a resistant strain of HIV. If a person is HIV positive, they still need to practice safer sex to avoid spreading HIV to others and to avoid contracting a different, resistant strain of HIV. This video refutes misinformation from the "Lee Evans HIV Tests" video. Visit to learn more about Dr. Kuhn's outreach. Visit and to learn more. [Do you want to help prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS? Are you fluent in a language other than English? Then volunteer to translate this video into another language! Click to learn how you can help!!!]

Channel: Howto & Style
Uploaded: October 18, 2006 at 10:09 pm
Author: AIDSvideos

Length: 00:16:54
Rating: 4.36
Views: 30679

Tags: HIV AIDS prevention antiretroviral abstinence faithful condom virus education care orphan charity

Video Comments:
fajfred (January 2, 2009 at 1:05 pm)
If you have a cut in your mouth and you share a cigarette with a person who has hiv can you become infected?
silverspots (December 15, 2008 at 3:21 am)
crap, why do I have to watch this
y04daz (December 6, 2008 at 4:24 am)
we were messing bout in class the other day and my friend stabbed this boy with a compass which has a little needle on the end and he then stabbed me will i become infected with hiv?
AIDSvideos (January 4, 2009 at 5:54 am)
This is Eric; I'm not a doctor. IF a boy stabbed prior to you was HIV+ *and* blood got on the compass *and* you got stabbed and there was direct blood-to-blood contact as a result, it's possible. You should discuss the incident with your parents, teacher, and/or guidance counselor.
dgaisan (November 27, 2008 at 2:59 pm)
Can you catch HIV because condom breaks???
And you have contact like 5 seconds...
AIDSvideos (November 30, 2008 at 3:42 pm)
This is Eric; I'm not a doctor. Yes, it's possible to contract HIV in that situation. If this happened to you, see a doctor and discuss your concerns, get tested, and follow the doctor's instructions including any instructions for follow-up testing.
AIDSvideos (November 6, 2008 at 11:44 am)
This is Eric; I'm not a doctor. HIV is a virus; you have to contract it from someone who has it or from their bodily fluids. If two people have never been exposed to HIV, they can't contract it from each other. However the person does NOT have to have an "HIV positive" test result for you to contract HIV from them. It can take up to 6 months for a person to test HIV+ after being exposed to HIV. During this "window period," HIV tests may return a "false negative."
DOMINIONSXVOID (November 6, 2008 at 9:58 am)
If an infected female, gives an unafected male oral sex can he still catch H.I.V?
AIDSvideos (November 6, 2008 at 11:36 am)
Yes. See our video "Some Ways You Can Contract HIV and the Risk of Each One."
alexander33345 (November 3, 2008 at 4:18 pm)
Hi if you were esposed to vaginal fluid, in a cut that has 24 hrs, and kissed an HIV positive is it posible to have HIV?