2 Crucial Facts About HIV You Need To Know

The mere mention of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is enough
to instill a sense of near religious dread in the mind of most right
thinking people, and there is a great deal of panic and
misunderstanding about the disease. For many people, it is perceived
as an omnipotent, unbeatable foe that simply targets people at
random.The fact that to date, there is no known cure for the disease
does little to quell such concerns, but it is essential that we
actually get the disease into the proper perspective. Not only is the
disease easily prevented, the types of behavior which are likely to
cause the disease by themselves carry only a small probability of the
disease being transmitted.Please note that this is not intended to
belittle the pain and the suffering that people diagnosed with the
condition endure, nor is it intended to advocate that people should
engage in high risk activity which could leave them more vulnerable of
acquiring HIV. The purpose of this article is to both inform, and help
people in order to understand the infection, and to ensure that it
does not rule their lives.Too many people miss out on one of the most
beautiful and wonderful gifts to mankind: sex. The reason for this is
that they are so afraid of acquiring HIV that they decide to adopt an
extreme and disproportionate response to avoid such a possibility.With
that in mind then, let us now consider the following facts about
HIV.Actual Numerical Values of Certain Relevant ActivitiesRead any
medical journal article about HIV and they will identify the same
basic issue: complacency plays a pivotal role in the acquisition of
the disease. With that noted, consider the following numbers.In the
Western world, the rate of transmission of HIV between male and female
partners who engage in penetrative vaginal sex, which is unprotected
(without the usage of a condom) stands at 0.04%. What this means then
is that a heterosexual man has a 0.04% chance of acquiring the disease
if he has unprotected vaginal sex.Due to the physical design of the
vagina, the risk is much higher, and so in the same scenario, her risk
is actually double.Penetrative anal intercourse which is unprotected
has been identified and recognized across the world as the most high
risk sexual activity, and studies estimate this as posing 1.7%
probability of the disease arising.Other STDS Increase the Risk of HIV
InfectionPlease note that having unprotected sex is never a good idea
because it leaves you wide open to the threat and risk of acquiring a
STD such as Chlamydia or herpes. These are painful, but the reason
that they are of particular concern is due to the fact that they leave
the victim at a higher risk of acquiring the HIV infection.Therefore,
the figures identified earlier in the article are base figures used to
refer to situations whereby the partners do not have a STD.