Download What are HIV and AIDS?

HIV is a reality in Ontario. In 2008, more
than 26,000 people in the province were
living with HIV and an estimated 1,618
people had newly acquired the virus.
Around the world children and young
people are helping their communities to
stop new HIV infections and to create
caring societies for people living with and
affected by HIV. This guide provides
information and ideas to help you make a
difference in your community.
Get Informed! HIV Quick Facts
You need to understand the issues before you can make a difference.
What are HIV and AIDS?
HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. It is the
virus that can cause AIDS, which stands for acquired
immunodeficiency syndrome. With anti-retroviral therapy
(ART), most people living with HIV can avoid getting AIDS
and stay healthy for a long time. If HIV is not treated, the
person’s immune system gets weaker and eventually they
become sick from life-threatening infections. When this
happens, the person may be diagnosed as having AIDS.
How is HIV passed between people?
The two most common ways that HIV is passed from
one person to another is unprotected anal or vaginal sex
and sharing injecting equipment. The “HIV Transmission
Equation” provides a basic overview of how HIV is
passed from a person living with HIV to another person.
Can HIV be cured?
No. HIV is a life-threatening
infectious
disease
that
cannot be cured. HIV can be
controlled with ART, which
are drugs that make it hard
for the HIV virus to create
more copies of itself. ART
gives the body’s immune
system a chance to get
stronger so that it can better
fight off infections.
HIV Transmission Equation
There is a chance that HIV will be passed from a person living with HIV to another person when there is:
A body fluid with HIV
Only five body fluids can contain enough HIV to transmit the virus: semen (including pre-semen), vaginal
fluid, rectal mucous, blood, and breast milk.
+
A way into the bloodstream
HIV can get into the bloodstream through the vagina, rectum, urethra, and foreskin; injection sites; and
– for fetuses and infants – the placenta, mouth, and throat.
+
An activity that moves body fluids between people
Unprotected sexual activity (such as vaginal sex, anal sex, oral sex, and sharing sex toys), sharing drug
equipment (such as needles and crack pipes), unsafe bodywork (such as sharing needles for tattoo and
piercing, ink, and piercing jewellery), and – for fetuses and infants – pregnancy and birthing, and breastfeeding.
=
Risk of HIV infection
What affects the “risk” of HIV being passed from one person
to another?
“Risk” means that there is a chance of a certain outcome happening. The risk of HIV infection is
complex and can be affected by many factors. For example:
• Different activities carry varying degrees of risk for HIV infection.
• People are more likely to come into contact with the HIV virus when many people in a
population are living with HIV.
• The risk that HIV will be passed from a person living with HIV to another person goes up when
there is a lot of the virus in a person’s bloodstream (like when they are newly infected or not
taking ARTs).
• Sexually transmitted infection (STIs) and unhealthy mucous membranes – such as irritated
vaginal walls during a yeast infection – increase the risk of HIV infection.
Why does HIV affect some groups of people in Ontario more than others?
Ontario has what is known as a “concentrated HIV epidemic.” This means there is a higher HIV prevalence – the
proportion of a population affected by HIV – among specific groups of people but a low HIV prevalence in the overall population. When some groups are more affected by a disease or infection, it is called a “health disparity.” There
are three key reasons for these health disparities.
First, there is a greater chance that a person will have a partner who is HIV-positive when a high proportion of a
population is living with HIV. For example, if 25 per cent of the population is HIV-positive, then there is a 1 in 4
chance of having a partner who is living with HIV. This means that people from, or who have partners from, the most
at-risk population are more likely to have a partner who is HIV-positive and to be exposed to HIV if they engage in
a risk activity compared to people in the general population.
Determinants of health are the second key reason that there is a higher prevalence among some groups than others.
Determinants of health are the things we need to live comfortably, to feel valued and respected by our community,
to take part in society, to feel good about ourselves, and to have control in our intimate and romantic relationships.
The groups in Ontario who are most vulnerable to HIV face various forms of stigma and discrimination – such as
homophobia, racism, and gender inequalities – that makes it hard for them to access the determinants of health.
Limited access to determinants of health increases the chances that people will engage in risk-taking behaviours
that can lead to HIV and experience other negative health outcomes such as depression and addictions.
The third reason is that the groups who are most affected by HIV in Ontario are small in size and relatively selfcontained. Due either to stigma and discrimination or to a shared identity or shared interests, the social and sexual
networks of people from most at-risk populations are often made up of people who share the same identity. If
someone in the network contracts HIV, the virus is able to spread much more easily than in the general population
and the prevalence of HIV grows.
How can you prevent HIV from being passed between people?
Preventing new HIV infections requires both personal and social actions. People can
reduce their risk of HIV infection by removing one or more components of the transmission equation: for example, by choosing low-risk sexual activities. People, organizations,
and governments can prevent new HIV infections by addressing the underlying determinants of health. Poverty, homelessness, prejudice and discrimination against marginalized
groups, and limited numbers of supports for people with mental health issues leave
people vulnerable to HIV and other health issues.
How do you know if you are living with HIV?
People can have HIV and other STIs without knowing it. The only
way to know if you are living with HIV is to get tested. Getting
tested regularly for HIV and other STIs is an important part of taking
care of your sexual health and that of your partner(s). For information on HIV testing, call the AIDS and Sexual Health Info Line at:
1-800-668-2437 (English) or 1-800-267-7432 (French).
Take Action!
What?
You can be part of the HIV response in Ontario by practising safer sex, encouraging your peers and community members
to practise safe sex, speaking out against HIV stigma and the root causes of HIV vulnerability, and working to create inclusive communities.
How?
There are many fun and creative ways that youth can make a difference in their community.
Here are just a few to consider:
• Get people talking over condom pins. The Condom Project gets people making condom art pins as a way to get them
talking about condoms and safer sex. You’ll need a table, a supply of condoms (talk to your public health unit or AIDS
Service Organization) with pins hot glued on, lots of colourful paper, scissors, glue, and other art supplies.
• Make your own videos, PhotoVoice projects, and fotonovelas. You can do a lot with a cell phone or digital camera, a
computer, and a bit of creativity.
• Join or set up a Rainbow Alliance in your school.
• Use commemorative days to raise awareness. Plan events, contests, and other activities to engage your peers.
Commemorative days include: World AIDS Day, Sexual and Reproductive Health Day, Day of the Girl, Day of Pink, Black
History Month, National Aboriginal Day, the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women,
International Day against Homophobia, and Trans Day of Remembrance.
• Volunteer at or raise money for your local AIDS Service Organization.
• Become a peer educator. Youth listen to other youth. Contact your school counsellor, public health unit, or sexual health
organization to find out how you can get trained to provide work shops and information to your peers.
Search the internet
Check out these tools designed to help youth make a difference around HIV:
• TakingITGlobal’s HIV/AIDS Youth Guide to Action
• World AIDS Campaign’s Youth Toolkit and Youth e-Course
• Youth Action Network, Gendering Adolescent AIDS Prevention, and Centre for Urban Health Initiative’s Empower: Youth,
Arts and Activism: An HIV/AIDS Arts Activism Manual for Youth by Youth
• The Youth, the Arts, HIV & AIDS Network
Find out more!
www.spiderbytes.ca
www.youthco.org
www.planetahead.ca
www.livepositive.ca
www.sexualityandu.ca
www.youthline.ca
Understanding The Risks
Understanding the risks of HIV transmission associated with activities can help you make
informed decisions about how to take care of your health and well-being. This table explains
the risk that HIV will pass from one person to another through different activities. The activities
in the table are personal in nature. Each person has to figure out whether, which, when, and
under what circumstances they want to engage in these activities. An important part of figuring this out is thinking about one's goals and personal, family, cultural, and spiritual values.
Level of Risk
Definition
Example Activities
No risk
None of the five body fluids that can transmit HIV are involved in these activities. This
means there is no chance that HIV can pass
from one person to another.
Examples:
• Sharing dishes and glasses
• Kissing and hugging
• Touching a penis or vulva
• Using drugs (including steroids) with new,
sterile equipment
• Tattooing and piercing with sterilized and
new equipment
Negligible risk
Body fluids that can transmit HIV are moved
between people, but it is hard for HIV to get
into the body through these activities. There
are no documented infections linked to these
activities.
Examples:
• Receiving oral sex
• Performing oral sex with a condom or
dental dam
• Fingering a vagina or anus
• Tattooing and piercing with shared
equipment
• Sharing toothbrushes and razors
Low risk
Body fluids that can transmit HIV are moved
between people. A few people have been
infected with HIV through these activities.
Examples:
• Performing oral sex without a condom or
dental dam
• Vaginal or anal sex with a condom
• Using cleaned needles to inject drugs
(including steroids)
• Tattooing with non-professional equipment
High risk
Body fluids that can transmit HIV are moved
between people. A significant number of people
have been infected with HIV through these
activities, and scientific studies have repeatedly linked these activities to HIV infection.
Examples:
• Vaginal or anal sex without a condom
• Using shared needles to inject drugs
(including steroids)
*Adapted from the Canadian AIDS Society’s HIV Transmission Guidelines for Assessing Risk.