Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a communicable virus that damages the immune system, leaving the host susceptible to cancer and opportunistic infections. HIV eventually become AIDS; at present, there is no cure for HIV or AIDS. Medications are available to slow the progression of the disease. Avert reports that HIV has three main modes of transmission; precautions to prevent HIV must focus on avoiding these transmission routes.
Avoid Sexual Transmission
To be certain of avoiding sexual transmission, practice abstinence. Sexually active indiciduals should engage in sex with one monogamous partner who has been tested for HIV. Use barrier protection every time you have sex. Depending on your sexual activity, this will be a latex condom or a dental dam. Mayo Clinic explains that those allergic to latex can use a polyurethane condom. Avoid any lubricant that is not water-based. Avoid contact with semen, vaginal fluid, blood and breast milk.
Avoid Blood Transmission
To avoid blood transmission, do not engage in activity that puts you in proximity to the blood of others. Most risky is using a used needle to inject drugs into yourself. Use a clean needle, syringe and supplies each time if you use intravenous drugs. Do not use the personal care services of people or places that are not licensed or do not practice strict precautions. This includes your cosmetologist, barber, tattoo artist and body piercer. Do not share a razor, toothbrush or other personal care appliance that may have blood on it. Avoid recapping the needle or sticking yourself with it if you give someone else an injection. Dispose of all needles, syringes and supplies carefully. Use gloves for the personal care of others when there is a potential for contact with blood or other bodily fluids.
Avoid Mother-to-Child Transmission
A woman with HIV/AIDS who becomes pregnant must take precautions to reduce the risk of the baby contracting HIV. She may be given medication throughout the course of the pregnancy. Close to the due date, the obstetrician will determine the risk/benefit ratio to taking the child by Cesarean section. This limits the infant's exposure to the mother's bodily fluids but carries risks of its own. A pregnant woman with a high viral load is more likely to need to give birth by Cesarean section. A woman with HIV/AIDS is almost always encouraged not to breastfeed, as the virus can be transmitted via breast milk.
