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World Aids Day

World Aids Day 1st December

 

- LOVE, SUPPORT, PREVENTION, HELP, RESPECT -

 

We move from Movember - which was a month to raise awareness in mental health and prostate cancer in men and into December. My local gym raised £2800 for the cause with the company in general showing an overall contribution of over 90k!. December the first is the World Aids Day; which though it's aimed at all sexes, men are at greater risk due to unprotected sex. Often through the gay community or domestic abuse. I find this particularly true having experienced online the vast number of men looking for what is known as 'Bare Back Sex' and 'Breeding fucks' and group sessions being used as 'Cum Whores'.

This page that I've created will give some general information to help you gain some knowledge and where to get help from if you need it. Near the bottom, I have provided various links to information sources to help you gain further reading and facts to further your prevention and support.

For most people who get infected; they experience a short, flu-like illness for around 2-6 weeks after HIV has taken hold from an infected source ,

which lasts for a week or two.

GROUPS PARTICULARLY AT RISK but not limited to, ARE...

  • Men who have sex with men

  • Black African heterosexuals

  • People who share needles, syringes or other injecting equipment.

 

WHAT IS HIV and AIDS?

  • HIV ( human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus that attacks the immune system.

  • If HIV is left untreated, a person’s immune system will get weaker and weaker until it can no longer fight off life-threatening infections and diseases.

  • Testing regularly for HIV means you can get antiretroviral treatment if you need it and stay healthy.

  • AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) describes a set of symptoms and illnesses that happen at the final stage of HIV infection, if left untreated.

Recent figures for the UK.

 

HIV transmisson can be easily done through a number of ways.

  • You can only get HIV through certain bodily fluids of an infected person (e.g. blood, semen, breast milk).

  • HIV can be transmitted during unprotected sex; through sharing injecting equipment; from mother-to-baby during pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding; and through contaminated blood transfusion.

HIV in an infected person can be found in...

  • His or her blood.

  • Semen and pre-seminal fluid (“pre-cum”)

  • Rectal fluids/anal mucous

  • Vaginal fluids

  • Breast milk.

To get infected, these bodily fluids need to get into your blood through a mucous membrane (for example the lining of the vagina, rectum, the opening of the penis, or the mouth), breaks in the skin (like cuts), or be injected directly into your bloodstream. Other bodily fluids, like saliva, sweat or urine, don't contain enough of the virus to transmit it to another person.

 

ANY SYMPTOMS ?

This process can vary from person to person, but may take up to 10 years, during which you'll feel and appear well.

Once the immune system becomes severely damaged, symptoms can include:

  • Weight loss

  • Chronic diarrhoea

  • Night sweats

  • Skin problems

  • Recurrent infections

  • Serious life-threatening illnesses

Earlier diagnosis and treatment of HIV can prevent these problems.

 

LIVING WITH HIV & AIDS

Finding out that you have the virus is a massive blow to both the mind and the well being of yourself. It isn't the death sentence that it used to be. With modern medicine giving a very long life expectancy with suppressing the virus to the point of not being detectable so long as the medication is regularly taken.

Click the blue logo to go open a page for support on living with the virus via the Terrence Higgins Trust. This trust offers phone support via..


THT Direct helpline

Call THT Direct on 0808 802 1221 for support, advice and information. You can also email or write to us.


They also offer a free STI & HIV test kit with the postal service. This is a discrete service along with a massive amount of information in areas such as sexual assault and how to deal with potential infections and long term living.


Another FREE postal testing service which even texts the results is www.test.hiv from which I have personally ordered and will give my experience of using the service once completed. You can see what the kit includes and looks like with below. It came in a discrete grey bag with just an address on the front.