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HIV/AIDS
Teens and young adults are being infected and affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic at staggering rates. This group is at high risk because of the level of curiosity with sexual experimentation.
What is HIV?HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. HIV is the virus that causes AIDS.
A person with HIV may not show any sign for years. Most of the people who have HIV will develop AIDS as a result of their HIV infection. A person with HIV can look and feel healthy.
Are adolescents more at risk of HIV than adults?
- Yes. HIV infection is enhanced by the presence of other STDs. Thus adolescents are at increased risk of HIV infection because of their high STD rate.
- Seven out of ten STD infections occur among ages 15-24. Sexually active, unmarried adolescents are at high risk for psychological, behavioural, biological and social reasons.
- Psychological factors that put teens at increased risk include a desire to try new experiences, including taking the risk of changing sexual partners often.
- In addition, many adolescents lack knowledge on AIDS that contribute to risk-taking behaviours, or lack communication and negotiation skills, making condom use difficult.
What are the most common ways that teenagers contract AIDS?
Having sex with a person who has HIV is the most common way teenagers become infected with the virus.
Some teenagers become infected from sharing needles and syringes with someone who has HIV( especially drug addicts).
How can I tell if I am infected with HIV?
The only way to know for sure if a person is infected with HIV is to get tested. Many people with HIV do not have symptoms for many years.
When symptoms begin to show, some of the common ones may include:
- Rapid weight loss
- Night sweats
- Fatigue that cannot be explained
- Swollen lymph glands
- White spots or blemishes on the tongue
- Cervical cancer in women that is hard to treat or keeps coming back
No one with these symptoms should assume that they have HIV. Symptoms related to HIV are not the same for everyone.
Which segment of teens are more vulnerable to the AIDS virus?
- Teenagers with the largest number of sexual partners were the least likely to use condoms and the most vulnerable to the AIDS virus.
- Especially vulnerable to HIV are teens who are gay, drug users, juvenile offenders, school dropouts, and homeless or migrant youth. These people are often unaware of prevention, and have limited access to health care.
What is the role of parents?
- Parents can play an important role in HIV prevention among young teenagers.
- Parents are in a unique position to talk to their children about AIDS education and prevention.
- It is also important to reach young people with prevention messages to delay first intercourse among teens; and to increase condom use among adolescents who are sexually active.