LET’S

TALK HIV
ABOUT
positively
H
P
 CONTENTS
HUMAN HUMAN
IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS PAPILLOMA VIRUS
▪ Meaning ▪ Meaning
▪ Stages of HIV ▪ Stages of HPV
▪ Transmission ▪ Transmission
▪ Common Misconception ▪ Common Misconception
▪ Cure ▪ Cure
▪ Prevention ▪ Prevention
 HUMAN
IMMUNODEFICIENCY
VIRUS
SORURCES
 HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS

HIV stands for human

immunodeficiency
virus. It weakens a
person’s immune
system by destroying
important cells that
fight disease and
infection.
 HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS

It is the virus that can lead to acquired

immunodeficiency syndrome or AIDS if
not treated. Unlike some other viruses,
the human body CAN’T GET RID OF HIV
COMPLETELY, even with treatment. So
once you get HIV, you have it for life.
 TRANSMISSION
You can get or transmit HIV only through specific activities.
Most commonly, people get or transmit HIV through sexual
behaviors and needle or syringe use.
 Only certain body fluids—blood, semen (cum), pre-
seminal fluid (pre-cum), rectal fluids, vaginal fluids,
and breast milk—from a person who has HIV can
transmit HIV. These fluids must come in contact with
a mucous membrane or damaged tissue or be
directly injected into the bloodstream (from a needle
or syringe) for transmission to occur. Mucous
membranes are found inside the rectum, vagina,
penis, and mouth.
 STAGES OF HIV
When people get HIV and don’t receive
treatment, they will typically progress through
three stages of disease. Medicine to treat HIV,
known as antiretroviral therapy (ART), helps
people at all stages of the disease if taken the
right way, every day. Treatment can slow or
prevent progression from one stage to the next. It
can also dramatically reduce the chance of
transmitting HIV to someone else.
 STAGES OF HIV

Stage 1: Acute HIV infection

Within 2 to 4 weeks after infection with HIV,
people may experience a flu-like illness, which
may last for a few weeks. This is the body’s
natural response to infection. When people have
acute HIV infection, they have a large amount of
virus in their blood and are very contagious
 STAGES OF HIV
Stage 2: Clinical latency (HIV inactivity or dormancy)
This period is sometimes called asymptomatic HIV
infection or chronic HIV infection. During this phase,
HIV is still active but reproduces at very low levels.
People may not have any symptoms or get sick
during this time. For people who aren’t taking
medicine to treat HIV, this period can last a decade
or longer, but some may progress through this phase
faster.
 STAGES OF HIV

Stage 3: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

(AIDS)
AIDS is the most severe phase of HIV
infection. People with AIDS have such badly
damaged immune systems that they get an
increasing number of severe illnesses, called
opportunistic illnesses.
 COMMON MISCONCEPTION

According to the latest statistics from the

Centers for Disease, Control, and Prevention,
around 36.7 million people are living with HIV
around the world. While there have been many
advancements in the management of the HIV
virus throughout the years, unfortunately, a lot of
misinformation still exists about what it means to
live with HIV.
 COMMON MISCONCEPTION

Myth #1:
“With proper treatment, we HIV is a
now expect people with HIV DEATH SENTENCE
to live a normal life span,”
says Dr. Michael Horberg,
national director of HIV/AIDS
for Kaiser Permanente.
 COMMON MISCONCEPTION
If an individual contracts the HIV Myth #2:
virus, the symptoms are largely You can TELL if someone has
unremarkable. A person with an HIV/AIDS by LOOKING at them.
HIV infection might display
symptoms that are similar to any
other type of infection, such as a
fever, fatigue, or general malaise.
Additionally, the initial mild
symptoms generally only last a few
weeks
 COMMON MISCONCEPTION

It’s true that HIV is more prevalent in men who

also have male sexual partners. Gay and Myth #3:
bisexual young African-Americans have the Straight people don’t
highest rates of HIV transmission. have to worry about
“We know that the highest risk group is men HIV infection.
who have sex with men,” says Dr. Horberg. This
group accounts for about 
70 percent of new HIV cases in the USA,
according to the CDC.
HOWEVER, heterosexuals accounted for 
24 percent of new HIV infections in 2016, and
 COMMON MISCONCEPTION
The most important thing that a woman living
with HIV can do when preparing for pregnancy Myth #4:
is to work with her healthcare provider to
HIV-positive
begin ART treatment as soon as possible.
people
can’t safely have
Because treatment for HIV has advanced so children.
much, if a woman takes her HIV medicine
daily as recommended by a healthcare
provider throughout her entire pregnancy
(including labor and delivery), and continues
medicine for her baby for 4 to 6 weeks after
birth, the risk of transmitting HIV to the baby
can be as low as 1% or less.
 COMMON MISCONCEPTION
HIV is the infection that causes
AIDS. But this doesn’t mean all HIV-
Myth #5:
positive individuals will develop AIDS. HIV always leads to
AIDS is a syndrome of immune system AIDS.
deficiency that is the result of HIV
attacking the immune system over
time and is associated with weakened
immune response and opportunistic
infections. AIDS is prevented by early
treatment of HIV infection.
 COMMON MISCONCEPTION
Although there have been a lot of medical Myth #6:
advancements in the treatment of HIV, the virus
With all of the
can still lead to complications, and the risk of
modern
death is still significant for certain groups of
people.
treatments, HIV is
no big deal.
The risk of acquiring HIV and how it affects a
person varies based on age, gender, sexuality,
lifestyle, and treatment. The CDC has a 
Risk Reduction Tool that can help a person
estimate their individual risk and take steps to
protect themselves.
 COMMON MISCONCEPTION
PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) is a
medication that can prevent HIV infection Myth #7:
in advance, if taken daily. According to Dr. If I take PrEP, I
Horberg, a recent study from  don’t need to use a
Kaiser Permanente followed people using condom.
PrEP for two and a half years, and found
that it was mostly effective at preventing
HIV infections, again if taken daily.

However, it doesn’t protect against other

sexually transmitted diseases or infections.
 COMMON MISCONCEPTION
Myth #8:
Those who test negative for
If a person was recently HIV
can have unprotected sex.
diagnosed with HIV, it
may not show up on an
HIV test until up to three
months later.
 COMMON MISCONCEPTION
Myth #9:
If both partners have HIV,
Studies have shown that a person there’s no reason for a
living with HIV who is on regular
condom.
antiretroviral therapy that reduces
the virus to undetectable levels in
the blood is NOT able to transmit
HIV to a partner during sex. The
current medical consensus is that
“Undetectable = Untransmittable.”
 CURE

No effective cure currently exists for HIV. But with proper medical care,
HIV can be controlled. Treatment for HIV is called antiretroviral therapy or
ART. If taken the right way, every day, ART can dramatically prolong the
lives of many people infected with HIV, keep them healthy, and greatly
lower their chance of infecting others. Before the introduction of ART in the
mid-1990s, people with HIV could progress to AIDS (the last stage of HIV
infection) in a few years. Today, someone diagnosed with HIV and treated
before the disease is far advanced can live nearly as long as someone who
does not have HIV.
 PREVENTION

…is BETTER than cure

 PREVENTION

…is BETTER than cure

So…
Here are some tips
 PREVENTION

Get tested and know your

partner’s HIV status.
 PREVENTION

Have less risky sex. 

 PREVENTION

Use condoms.
 PREVENTION

Limit your number of sexual

partners. 
 PREVENTION

Get tested and treated for STDs

 PREVENTION

Talk to your health care provider about

pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)
 PREVENTION

Don’t inject drugs.

 HUMAN
PAPILLOMA VIRUS
 Meaning
HPV is the most common sexually transmitted
infection (STI). HPV is a different virus than HIV and 
HSV (herpes). 79 million Americans, most in their late
teens and early 20s, are infected with HPV. There are
many different types of HPV. Some types can cause
health problems including genital warts and cancers.
But there are vaccines that can stop these health
problems from happening.
Stages of HPV
 Transmission

You can get HPV by having vaginal, anal, or oral

sex with someone who has the virus. It is most
commonly spread during vaginal or anal sex. HPV
can be passed even when an infected person has
no signs or symptoms.
 Transmission

Anyone who is sexually active can get HPV, even

if you have had sex with only one person. You also
can develop symptoms years after you have sex
with someone who is infected. This makes it hard
to know when you first became infected.
Common Misconception
Cure
Prevention