How to prevent AIDS
Today is December 1, World AIDS Day. Although many people are aware of how severe AIDS is, there are still some who are not educated about the disease and its symptoms. AIDS is the last stage of HIV infection, and when patients develop AIDS, they experience a variety of symptoms. It’s important for everyone to be aware of the lifestyle choices that increase the risk of HIV/AIDS and to consult a doctor immediately if they experience any symptoms.
AIDS prevention:
- Be faithful to your partner. Extramarital affairs increase the risk of AIDS.
- In addition to AIDS, condom use is a good practice to prevent other sexually transmitted diseases. Remember, people with other sexually transmitted diseases are also at higher risk of getting AIDS.
- Maintain normal behavior in physical relations. Avoid abnormal sexual behavior (such as anal sex).
- Do not reuse single-use syringes or needles.
- Avoid using blades or razors that have been used by others. If you need to go to the salon for a beard trim, make sure to do this. Care should be taken when cutting hair with scissors used by others, so that you do not cut yourself with those scissors.
- If blood transfusion is required for any reason, seek help from a hospital or blood bank, where all blood tests are done properly before blood transfusion.
When to go to the Doctor:
If AIDS or HIV is caught in the early stages, symptoms can be alleviated with treatment. In addition to that, if the disease is caught, the risk of spreading it to others unknowingly also decreases. Be aware of some common symptoms.
- Fever for more than 10 days.
- Prolonged diarrhea.
- Fungal infection of the mouth or cervix (thick, whitish coating in the mouth or tongue or whitish discharge from the cervix and itching of the cervix).
- Sores in the mouth, throat, genitals, or anus.
- Several types of infection (ie, often fever, cough, sore throat, diarrhea) occur shortly after.
- Weight loss for no reason.
- Lumpy, swollen lump in neck or groin.
- Bleeding from any part of the body for no reason (patches of bleeding under the skin) or a red rash on the skin (rashes without itching).
- Excessive tiredness all the time for no reason.
If any of these occur, a doctor must be consulted.
