Common
Questions and Answers About HIV and AIDS
What is AIDS?
What
causes AIDS?
What
body fluids transmit HIV?
How
does HIV cause AIDS?
An
author indicated in a recently published book that AIDS
is caused by HHV-6 rather than HIV. Is this true?
Why
do some people make statements that HIV does not cause
AIDS?
Where
did HIV come from?
How
long does it take for HIV to cause AIDS?
How
can I tell if I'm infected with HIV? What are the symptoms?
If
somebody in my class at school or someone at work has
HIV, am I likely to get it, too?
Can
I get HIV from kissing on the cheek?
Can
I get HIV from open-mouth kissing?
Can
I get HIV from performing oral sex?
Can
I get HIV from someone performing oral sex on me?
Can
I get HIV from having vaginal sex?
Can
I get HIV from anal sex?
How
effective are latex condoms in preventing HIV?
Is
there a connection between HIV and other sexually transmitted
diseases?
Why is injecting drugs a risk for HIV?
How
can people who use injection drugs reduce their risk for
HIV infection?
Can
I get HIV from getting a tattoo or a body piercing?
Are
health care workers at risk of getting HIV on the job?
Are
patients in a dentist's or doctor's office at risk of
getting HIV?
Should I be concerned about getting infected with HIV
while playing sports?
Can
I get HIV from casual contact (shaking hands, hugging,
using a toilet, drinking from the same glass, or the sneezing
and coughing of an infected person)?
Can
I get infected with HIV from mosquitoes?
Where
can I get tested for HIV infection?
What
are rapid HIV tests?
Are there other
tests available?
How
long after a possible exposure should I wait to get tested
for HIV?
If
I test HIV negative, does that mean that my partner is
HIV negative also?
What if I test positive for HIV?
I'm
HIV positive. Where can I get information about treatments?
How
many people have HIV and AIDS?
Why
does the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
recommend that all pregnant women be tested for HIV?
How
safe is the blood supply in the United States?
If
I have never injected drugs and have had sexual intercourse
only with a person of the opposite sex, could I have become
infected with HIV?
Is
it possible to become infected with HIV by donating blood?
I
had a blood transfusion. Could I be infected with HIV?
A
friend of mine told me that as long as I am taking birth
control pills, I will never get the HIV infection. It
this true?
What
is the proper way to use a condom?
I
think my son may be having sexual relations with other
males. Is there any information in addition to the materials
in this guide that I need to know about before I talk
to him about HIV and AIDS?
References:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (1994). AIDS
prevention guide: The facts about HIV infection and AIDS
– Putting the facts to use (OHA 8/94 D458). Rockville,
MD: CDC National AIDS Clearinghouse.
Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
