HIV and Sex: A Conclusion

It is hard to believe that this semester is almost over. As I reflect from the beginning of the course I have noticed that my knowledge of HIV/AIDS has changed dramatically. Coming from an individual who honestly knew nothing about the virus, I feel as if I can almost give a lecture on it or even teach a class about it. Actually when I think about it I almost forgot how I really knew nothing about the virus, and how my actions in the past could have really changed my life. Now that I can reflect on my past I can honestly say that I am lucky to be in good health and live a healthy lifestyle. Almost, with this new found healthy lifestyle I can now influence my friends and family.

In saying that and dealing with my topic of sex, I feel as if my sexual activities are going to be more responsible and I am going to be more aware of my actions. Before the class I really never thought about getting HIV/AIDS from my sexual actions. Now, I am aware and realize that using a condom and being more cautious is definitely a goo thing. I feel as if it is my duty, since I have this knowledge to share it with other people. In the end I hope that this blog site has educated individuals about sex and HIV/AIDS. I hope that I have influenced someone out there or has taught certain topics to individuals. I know I have for me. Moreover, thank you for reading my blogs and responding to them.

HIV and Sex: A Healthy Lifestyle

This week I have been reflecting on how much I have learned in this class. What I probably found most interesting was the stimulation on taking the antivirals for a week. I think doing this assignment has made me realized how difficult it is to live with this virus. Yes, we have learned about the medication, and the physiologic aspects of the virus, and watched movies and videos, but this exercise made me realized how much of a turn around your life can get if you are A) unlucky and B) made a bad lifestyle choice and now taking anywhere from eight to twelve pills a day with side effects is your consequence. In stating this my did you know came from making proper lifestyle choices.

Since my topic is Sex and HIV, then I will most likely always talk about sex. I am a male and they do say that a man thinks about sex every seven seconds. Ummm.... I wonder why when I was thinking about topics for my blog this one was the first to come up. Anyway, today I will talk about healthy lifestyle choices and sex. When someone is sexually active have a good and healthy lifestyle is key. That means using condoms and knowing your partners. Now you know that if you make a bad lifestyle choice when participating in sex, such as not using condoms, then you are at risk of getting HIV, STDs, and getting someone pregnant. Moreover, choices such as these can also lead to other affects. Participating in bad lifestyle choices makes individuals stress out, this puts a strain on your body and can affect your health. In the long run it is better to make proper sex lifestyle choices. I know it is hard some times, but what is important is that you are strong and afterwards you have nothing to worry about!

HIV and Sex: Being Human and Our Rights

The M&M stimulation has definitely been an eye opener in how it is to live with AIDS. The hardest thing for me was taking my M&Ms at the right time and before or during a meal. It must be so difficult to track and take your medications properly for HIV positive individuals. Taking all of these medications is like having a full time job. It must be hard especially with the side effects that come along with the medications. In all, moreover, I did learn a lot this week, and I did enjoy this stimulation. It was hard, however, put know I feel as if I can understand the virus, but from a different point of view. One that is not as much knowledge base, but more on the experience side. If that makes any sense.

Furthermore, this week on HIV and Sex I will be discussing the QOTW. I was going to find an article and write something on it and throw it in here, but after doing the QOTW and responding to some students I felt as if this is a better path to take. I was shock by how many students thought that a chip was fine to insert into HIV positive individuals. That a green light would go off if they are negative and a red one if they are positive. Therefore, you know right off the bat if you can have a sexual relationship with them. When do we as Americans cross the line from being a human to an animal. We put chips in dogs to track them and zap them when they leave the property. Are we going to start doing the same to HIV positive human beings. Well in that case we might as well do it for people who have the flu or a cold or herpes or warts or any other infectious disease or virus. My point is that we cannot go around tagging individuals and socially isolating them. Closely as important is when do we cross the line into the bed room. Unless some is raped, then each individual who participates in sexual activities must know there partners and their status. People nowadays know that there is a risk in participating in sexual activities. You can get an STD and they should know that they can get HIV. What happens in the bedroom has to be between who is in that bedroom, and Government and any other agency must stay out of the bedroom. You can track someone that is HIV positive and make sure they do not infect anyone else. You need to know who you are having sexual activities with, and if you do not then you need to tell them they need to be tested and you want to see the test results. Does anyone else agree with me or am I just crazy?

Also this whole education is not working, well I am not sure if I buy it. UCF seems to think it is working if they have a class like this at the university. In fact I think they are ahead of the game. Most people do not know much about HIV and AIDS, and need a class like this. We cannot say education is not working if we have not even tried to fully tackle education and HIV/AIDS. It needs to be taught at an early age, no later then middle school when kids start becoming sexually active. It needs to continue into high school, then college, and so on. When teenagers go into the doctors office for there annually checkup, doctors should explain the virus to them and tell them how they can obtain the virus, proper sexual methods, and that there is no cure for HIV/AIDS. Education has not failed, I think it has barely begun and we should not give up on it.

HIV and Sex: Semen

This week in the course I have learned that the information that has accumulated in my head not only has great use for me in the present and future, but is great for my friends as well. This weekend my buddy from California came to visit me for halloween and had no idea what he was getting himself into, or leaving with. He had no idea how easily he could get the virus, or he really had no idea about HIV/AIDS. Therefore, I spent about four good hours educating him about how he could get the virus, how easily one can get the virus from another individual, the mechanisms of the virus, and etc. Most of the information I could recite from my head, but some information I had to go back to my notes. He was very impressed about his educational experience and even stated that colleges should give a lecture about HIV/AIDS and on how one can get the virus, how easy, and etc. Moreover, I believe he made a great point. Colleges should definitely get a program together or a lecture series in which they educate young college freshman about HIV and AIDS. This is very important.

Furthermore, I will continue my discussion this week on HIV and semen. How dangerous is semen. Here I am not talking about blood, but just pure semen. Many people who try there hardest to pleasure there partner often have to deal with semen. And for those of you that are saying what? Hello, we are not in high school but college. A place where people are extremely sexually active and sometimes uneducated about what they are doing to some aspect. In other words couple, partners, hook ups, and etc. know what they are doing, but do they do how dangerous the product of semen is. Well I will tell you. According to a study a "component of human semen may facilitate the spread of the virus by targeting immune system cells, in some cases making the pathogen up to 100,000 times more virulent" (Male Semen Makes HIV More Potent, 2007). Now this study is not a 100 percent sure but data does back of this I think soon to be known fact. So when handling semen be careful has it could be very dangerous. What do you think?

Go Yankees!

Source:

Male Semen Makes HIV More Potent. (2007). In Scientific America. Retrieved November 3, 2009 from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=male-semen-makes-hiv-more-potent

HIV and Sex: Confessing to a New Partner

Like I mentioned before my true inspiration in life is to be a doctor and go on to help individuals over come diseases and injuries. Caring for another individual is my true calling in life and I am very passionate about the ability of helping someone hurdle over an obstacle. In saying that this class has broaden my knowledge on how a virus can have so much power over mankind. I had no idea how helpless we were in fighting this virus, and only recently have we been able to make some true progress. This week I stood back and evaluated my progress in this class. At the beginning of the semester I had a vague idea about the virus and now I now tons of information about HIV, the mechanisms, the treatments, the clinical test, and etc. Furthermore, what I have failed to realize until recently is how HIV/AIDS has brought us together. In some aspect about this virus you know someone who is infected, was infected, is dying of AIDS, is doing research on AIDS, is trying to find a vaccine for the virus, and so on. Most of humankind has taken a stand on the disease. Just the other day as I was watching college football between Notre Dame and USC when an advertisement came on about how Notre Dame is researching for a vaccine. My point here is that this fight against HIV/AIDS is every where and taking this class has open my eyes to it.

Furthermore, speaking of opening eyes, this week I will discuss the important time in a relationship when someone with HIV has to confess to a new individual about their status. I wanted to research any websites that stated when and where it was necessary to do so. According to Sex and Sexuality (2009) the first thing you should do when you find out or notify someone (your partner) that you are HIV positive is select a place and when you think is the best time to tell them. You want to choose a time when you guys are both comfortable and relaxed. Next, think about how your partner will react to stressful news and if they have a history of violence in your relationship, as you should consider your safety first and plan for a situation that might go to the extreme. Also, think about having a case manager or counselor there as support for both of you. Finally, imagine several ways that you partner might react to the news that you are HIV positive, as you might want to write down what he or she might say, and then think about what you might say in response (Sex and Sexuality, 2009). I think preparations for situations such as these are crucial and should be thought about before actions take place. That is way I included that in my did you know section this week. I hope this helps someone out.

Sources

Sex and Sexuality. (2009). In HIV In Site, retrieved October 29, 2009, from http://hivinsite.ucsf.edu/hiv?page=pb-daily-sex#S3.2X

HIV, SEX, and a Vaccination

This week I will continue my conversation, but take it into a different direction and hope I can get responses from individuals out there. I recently just found an article about a new vaccine that has been studied for the HIV virus. Now considering my interest is HIV and Sex, and who does not want to talk about sex, I want to tie in Sex and this new vaccine if I can.

The new recently studied AIDS vaccine showed that it is only marginally effective, however scientist are extremely excited because it is a positive start in finding a vaccine for this deadly virus. The results concluded that the vaccine has a better effect on the general public then it does on those individuals who participate in high-risk behaviors such as gay men and intravenous drug users. Moreover, “last month, researchers announced that a two-vaccine combination cut the risk of becoming infected with HIV by more than 31 percent in a trial of more than 16,000 volunteers in Thailand” (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, 2009). Even though the vaccine is not going to be used any time soon in the future, because scientists need to develop and make it more effective, the studies conducted indicate that the vaccine is beneficial. The vaccine is not produced solely form the whole HIV virus, and therefore cannot cause HIV infection. On the study in Thailand, the vaccine combo consisting of four doses of ALVAC and two doses of AIDSVAX over six months was given to half of the test subjects who where HIV-negative Thai men and women ages 18 to 30 at average risk of becoming infected. The other half received a dummy shot. The study showed new infections in 51 of the 8,197 subjects given the vaccine, while 74 subjects obtained the infection of 8,198 who received the dummy shot. Therefore, as mentioned above that comes out to 31 percent lower in risk for the vaccine group. In conclusion, this study shows improved scientific and medical advances to fight this killer virus, which can be extremely helpful in the future (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, 2009).

Furthermore, I believe in the near future, from evidence in this article, that a vaccine for HIV will be available. In saying that I believe people will start caring less about HIV/AIDS and continue to participate in high risk behaviors such as unprotected sex. Eventually, I think, people will begin to think that they are safe from danger and not care. Am I right in thinking this way? Is a vaccine the answer to this virus, or just an insurance option. I would like to think it would be an insurance option, but I think many individuals would take it as a answer and not care about unprotected sex and the dangers. What do you think?

Sources

Web: By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. AIDS Vaccine Seen as Modest Help in The New York Times (2009, Oct. 20). Retrieved October 20, 2009, from http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/10/20/health/AP-US-MED-AIDS-Vaccine.html?_r=1&scp=4&sq=HIV%20vaccination&st=cse

HIV and Sex: The Law

This week I learned a lot from the panel discussion on wednesday. The questions and answers were all great and very knowledgeable. It really showed me how HIV/AIDS can really affect an individual and how serious it is. From the panel discussion I took away that the medications used to help treat HIV/AIDS have serious side affects, and that these side affects can affect a person for years. Also, I learned that some people do not really experience any side affects, while others do, and still while others experience serious side affects. Also, I learned that HIV/AIDS does not only affect your body, your family, but also were you live and your job. In one situation an individual felt that it was necessary to move from one town to a new town because her hometown was small and living in a town such as that could make life hard with HIV/AIDS. Also, certain jobs had to be left because what there occupation was, put other people in risk, or that HIV/AIDS required them to take up another occupation. Attending the panel was great, moreover, it has influence my topic this week due to my experience at the panel and what I learned.

Therefore, todays topic is HIV and Sex: The Law. Is someone living with HIV/AIDS required to tell there about to be sex partner that they are infected and that having unprotected sex with them puts them in great risk? Is the law involved in a situation such as this? Well to answer this question there are about 24 to 27 states now in the United States that will criminalize certain behaviors when people with HIV engage in them (Sex, Privacy and the Law when You;re HIV-Positive, 2007). Furthermore, every state has a law that has "been in existence since the early 1930s, that will make it a crime if someone with a communicable or infectious disease exposes another person to that disease" (Sex, Privacy and the Law when You;re HIV-Positive, 2007). So in half of the states of the United States an individual who has HIV/AIDS can be prosecuted if they have unprotected sex with another individual, but do not disclose them to there status. According to THE BODY (2000), "at the point when you decide to have sex the disclosure question is no longer solely up to you and your conscience. At that point, your decisions may have legal ramifications. Failing to disclose your HIV status to your partner may make you vulnerable to criminal prosecution or to being sued by your sexual partner."

Furthermore, in Sweden it is a law that a person with HIV/AIDS must tell their sex partner that they are in affected. Also, it is required by law that an individual with HIV/AIDS must seek medical attention, and if another individual witnesses someone with an infectious disease not participating in medical attention, then by law that individual must notify authorities (Problematizations and Path Dependency: HIV/AIDS Policies in Denmark and Sweden, 2007).

Sources

THE BODY. (2000). Retrieved October 12, 2009, from http://www.thebody.com/content/art32643.html

Problematizations and Path Dependency: HIV/AIDS Policies in Denmark and Sweden. (2007). Retrieved October 12, 2009, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/pmc/articles/PMC1712379/

Sex, Privacy and the Law When You're HIV-Positive. (2007). Retrieved October 12, 2009, from http://www.thebody.com/content/art53797.html

HIV and Oral Sex

So this week I viewed Silverlake Life and Common Threads. Both these films expanded my knowledge on HIV/AIDS and in a strange why put a human face on the disease. Watching Tom and Mark love each other, but struggle with the disease together was hard to watch at times. Seeing how the KS took over both their bodies and the wasting that occurred to Tom was extremely hard to watch. However, from this film I learned how hard it is to actually battle this disease. In one part of the film Tom has trouble going into the store and buying an item. Instead, he has to go back to his car and rest until he gets enough energy to continue on with his day. Common Threads was also very interesting in that it showed how anyone can get HIV/AIDS. It showed how a gay individual, a black individual, and a little child were all at the hands of this terrible disease. This film really touched me in that how this disease does not care at all who you are. Watching David Mandell and "How full of life he was" and all of that taken away at such an early age really hit home to me. In all I enjoyed and was very educated from both of these films.

This week I will be writing about HIV and Oral Sex. Can someone get the HIV virus from giving or getting oral sex? Well I always wondered this and if you have too, then keep on reading because I have the answer. Yes! Someone can get HIV from either giving oral sex or getting oral sex. The CDC states "If the person performing oral sex has HIV, blood from their mouth may enter the body of the person receiving oral sex through the lining of the urethra (the opening at the tip of the penis), the lining of the vagina or cervix, the lining of the anus, or directly into the body through small cuts or open sores" (Can I get HIV from oral sex?, 2006). On the other side or the getting end, "if the person receiving oral sex has HIV, their blood, semen (cum), pre-seminal fluid (pre-cum), or vaginal fluid may contain the virus" and through this the "cells lining the mouth of the person performing oral sex may allow HIV to enter their body" (Can I get HIV from oral sex?, 2006). The risk of HIV transmission increases if the individual giving oral sex has cuts or sores surrounding or in their mouth or throat, if the individual on the receiving end ejaculates in the mouth of the individual performing oral sex, or if the individual on the receiving end has a sexually transmitted disease (STD) (Can I get HIV from oral sex?, 2006). So what if I want to give or receive oral sex and abstaining from it is not an option? Well one can use condoms to significantly decrease their chances of getting HIV from oral sex. I hope you enjoyed this HIV knowledge on a topic about sex, I know I did!

Source:

Can I get HIV from oral sex?. (2006). In the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved October 5, 2009, from http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/qa/qa19.htm

HIV and Sex: Pregnancy

Earlier this week I took my HIV test at a clinic in Viera. What was most strange about my experience was that when I scheduled it I thought nothing of it and was completely fine with the whole situation. However, as I began to drive to the clinic I became nervous and wondered why? When I checked in I began to feel strange as if I did something bad and then when the nurse came in to see me I felt as if she thought I was a bad person or was scared to touch me. I know it sounds strange, but thats how I felt. Moreover, from the information I have read and learned I know that some people who have HIV are drug users or homosexuals, so I then began to wonder if she thought I was a drug user or gay. The whole situation made me feel uncomfortable and strange. I wonder if someone who really is HIV positive feels or felt the same. This uncomfortable and nervous feeling. I the end I explained to the nurse why I was taking the HIV test and she answered a lot of my questions about the disease and gave me insight that was great for my knowledge. In the end I was glad to have the experience.

Furthermore, this week I will be talking about HIV and pregnancy. Since HIV and Sex is my interest I have included this topic because what happens when an individual gets pregnant and is HIV positive. More specifically, due to modern medicine what can the mother do or stop doing to decrease the chances of her child becoming HIV positive as well. Therefore, risk factors that increase the risk of transmission include: "smoking, substance abuse, vitamin A deficiency, malnutrition, infections such as STD's, quantity of HIV virus in the blood, factors related to labor and childbirth, and breast-feeding" (HIV/AIDS during pregnancy, 2007) If a women is infected she can reduced the risk of her child becoming pregnant by staying healthy as possible and receiving new treatments that can reduce the risk to 2 percent or less (HIV/AIDS during pregnancy, 2007). I hope that you found this knowledgeable and see you soon!

Source:

Web: HIV/AIDS During Pregnancy (2007, April). Retrieved September 29, 2009, from http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancycomplications/hivaids.html

HIV and Sex: Africa and Prevention

This past week I learned a lot from the module that was do. Learning how HIV works and affects the immune system is important and must be understood to fully understand the disease. Also, reading articles about HIV and sex has also educated me a lot. In saying that here is my weekly report.

To continue this weeks conversation on HIV and Sex I will look back at my first blog and the article I cited for that blog. If you have not read my first blog I would encourage you to do so before you read this one, as there is a connection between the two. The issue at hand is the number of HIV infected individuals in South Africa that continue to participate in high risk behaviors such as unprotected sex. I questioned why these prevention programs in South Africa were not as affective as they should be. That the number of infected individuals is not declining, but in fact unchanged or increasing. Why are these prevention programs not working? In the article titled “HIV/AIDS: Sex, abstinence, and behavior change” the author gives a valid reason to answer this question. He states, “prevention messages make naïve assumptions about sex in African societies that fail to engage with diversity and the social and economic context of sex. Sex in the very diverse circumstance within Africa and within African countries is not necessarily the same as sex in those societies and policy communities driving prevention agendas via their funding programmes. We cannot ignore the realities of how poverty and social isolation – which are rife across sub-Saharan Africa – can influence lifestyles and place young men and women at risk. Neither can we ignore the customs and practices around sexuality that may form and frame people’s desires and practices” (Barnett and Parkhurst, 2005). Moreover, many African men and women in South Africa participate in HIV high-risk behaviors due to ritual and cultural ceremonies, not merely because they solely want to have sex. Also, women are put into certain situations in which they “deploy the important and valuable resource of their bodies as part of a livelihood strategy when the alternative may be hunger or more arduous and time-consuming ways of earning a living” (Barnett and Parkhurst, 2005). Therefore, Barnnett and Parkhurst are stating that while prevention programs are focusing on abstinence, reduction in partners, and condoms, they suggest the prevention program take a more dynamic outlook to the situation at hand. That prevention programs need to “understand and address the socioeconomic and cultural realities in which sexual behaviors are shaped. Prevention strategies must explicitly aim to provide local communities, and local leaders, freedom to shape interventions to local circumstances, and to local understandings “ (Barnnett and Parkhurst, 2005). That a prevention program cannot merely be a simply A – B – and C, but it must be tailored and molded to fit each community and its values, culture, economy, and other characteristics that make that community unique (Barnnett and Parkhurst, 2005). I wonder if this strategy might work or is working. Do you think so? I believe this idea is better then just merely an all around abstinence, reduction in partners, and condoms program. It gives the program more personality, which might be beneficial.

Sources

Barneet, T. and Parkhurst, J. (2005). HIV/AIDS: sex, abstinence, and behaviour change. Lancet Infect Dis, 5, 590-593.

HIV and Kissing

Ok, so this week I decided to take the native transfusion if my life was on the line. I made this decision because just like any medical procedure there is risk, but you take that risk to become healthier in the future. I thought about it and waiting for American blood was just too risky as my life was in danger waiting for blood that might not even come in time.

Moreover, last week I wrote about HIV and Sex. I will continue to write about how HIV affects sex and everything that comes with it such as kissing, emotion, and etc. This subject interest me because HIV is passed from one person to another easily through sex and other activities that come along with it. Also, most individuals use sex and the activities that come along with it as way to show affection and show someone how much they care about them. So, this week I will be talking about HIV and kissing. I came up with this topic because my brother asked me if someone could get HIV from kissing? Honestly, I did not know what to tell him so I researched it and here I am. Also, as a 23 year student I have seen many random people kissing each other. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen my friends kiss some random person at a bar, spring break, at a club, and the list goes on. Also, I am pretty sure if your reading this you have witness similar situations. However, what are the dangers of kissing a random individual that you know nothing about? What if they are infected and you do not know? Or what if they do not know? Can you get infected by kissing each other and are there any dangers in kissing. This can also apply to people in relationships and whoever is interested in this topic.

So, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated that "HIV is not transmitted casually, so kissing on the cheek is safe, and even if the other person has the virus, your unbroken skin is a good barrier. Furthermore, no one has become infected from such ordinary social contact as dry kisses, hugs, and handshakes" (Can I get HIV from kissing?, 2006). But what about open mouth kissing. I see a lot of my friends open mouth kissing though, so can open mouth kissing become a danger? To answer this question, YES. According to the CDC "open mouth kissing is considered a very low-risk activity for the transmission of HIV. Prolong open-mouth kissing could damage the mouth or lips and allow the HIV to pass from an infected person to partner and then enter the body through cuts or sores in the mouth" (Can I get HIV from kissing?, 2006). The CDC even goes on to say that because of this possible risk, it recommends against open-mouth kissing with an infected partner. The CDC also cites a case in which a women became infected with HIV from exposure to contaminated blood during open-mouth kissing (Can I get HIV from kissing?, 2006). So there are the facts from a reliable source and the next time you open-mouth kiss some random individual you might want to think twice. Just food for the brain.

An organization in Singapore called Action For AIDS helps individuals with HIV and AIDS. Their objectives are to provide support and assistance to people living with HIV and AIDS, increase awareness, education, and understanding of AIDS and HIV infection, to combat discrimination and stigmatization of HIV and AIDS, and to encourage AIDS-related research activities in Singapore (Action for AIDS Singapore, 2009).

Sources

Web: Action For Aids (2009, Sept.). Retrieved September 16, 2009, from http://www.afa.org.sg/

Web: Can I get HIV from kissing? (2006, Oct. 20). Retrieved September 16, 2009, from http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/qa/qa17.htm

HIV and Sex

Before enrolling in this class I was aware of a couple of things. One being that an individual can get infected with HIV by sexual intercourse. However, I questioned a couple of things such as did one partner know he/she was infected, but decided not to tell the other individual? Did drugs play a factor into obtaining this infection through sexual intercourse? Other questions similar to this ran through my head and still do, so when I found an article on this subject I knew I had to include it in my first blog.

The title of the article is "HIV transmission risk behaviors among HIV seropositive sexually transmitted infection clinic patients in Cape Town, South Africa." What the authors found were that a "significant minority of HIV-positive men and women receiving sexually transmitted infection (STI) clinic services reported recent unprotected sex with known uninfected or unknown HIV status partners" in Cape Town, South Africa (Cain et al., 2009). Now, I struggle to find out why anyone would continue to participate in unprotected sex when they tested positive for HIV? I know that Africa has the highest percentage of individuals who are HIV positive. I wonder if this is because many people here are not educated enough in preventing this disease from spreading. Obviously, there needs to be more positive prevention interventions here in South Africa. To give this topic some mathematical meaning the study stated, "among south African HIV-positive sexually transmitted infection clinic patients, 16% reported engaging in unprotected intercourse with a uninfected partner in the previous month" (Cain et al., 2009). This study also found that "unprotected sex with uninfected partners was independently associated with older age, female gender, alcohol use and other drug use in sexual contexts" (Cain et al., 2009). This article came out about month ago and is recent. What worries me, however is that in 2009 situations such as being HIV-positive with a sexually transmitted infection and having unprotected intercourse should not happen. More education needs to be provided in this area to stop or decrease the number of HIV-positive individuals in South Africa. I believe that the more knowledge that this individuals can obtain will help this situation in the long run. Can anyone think of anything else that can help this situation besides educating people in this area more about HIV and sexual intercourse? I hope this article and blog brought knowledge and interested to you readers.

SOURCE:

Cain, D., Kalichman, S. C., Simbayi, L. C. (2009). HIV transmission risk behaviours among HIV seropositive sexually transmitted infection clinic patients in Cape Town, South Africa. European Journal of Public Health, 1-5. doi:10.1093/eurpub/ckp127