Research towards an AIDS VACCINE
Net proceeds will benefit the work of maverick scientists at two of the world’s leading university research facilities — the UCLA AIDS Institute and the Emory Vaccine Center.

The net proceeds of the funds raised will give these scientists the freedom to test bold and pioneering theories, which traditional, conservative sources are often reluctant to fund. We will help free them from the tether of grant writing, so that they can remain in their laboratories, where they belong, and test out their ideas. The net proceeds are given to these scientists free of restriction, so that they can go to work immediately on the approaches they feel are most promising. (Source: AIDS Vaccine 3 Day website)

Event organized by: Palotta Teamworks

TEN THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT HIV/AIDS

1. The AIDS pandemic has left no continent untouched. As of July 1996, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS estimated that 21.8 million men, women, and children worldwide were living with HIV/AIDS and over 5.8 million people had already died as a result of the infection.

2. AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) results from the late stage of infection with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus). In some adults, AIDS can take more than ten years to develop. Thus, a person infected with HIV may look and feel healthy for many years, but he or she can still transmit the virus to someone else, which is why it is very important for individuals to get tested.

3. HIV is found in the following types of fluid:

semen (and pre-ejaculate fluid)
vaginal secretion
blood
breast milk

4. HIV does not survive long outside the body, and therefore can only be transmitted when certain body fluids of an infected individual enter an uninfected individual. Examples include:

having unprotected sex with someone infected with HIV

sharing needles to inject drugs, or for body piercing or tattooing, with someone infected with HIV

from an infected mother to her child during pregnancy or delivery, or in infancy through breast-feeding

5. Sexual transmission of HIV can be prevented. Sexual intercourse (heterosexual or homosexual) is the major route of transmission of HIV.

You can prevent the sexual transmission of the virus by:

abstaining from sexual intercourse (this is the only 100% safe and effective way to avoid the risk of becoming infected with HIV)

practicing mutual monogamy (having sex with only one partner who has sex only with you) with an uninfected partner

You can significantly reduce the risk of spreading HIV through sexual intercourse by:

using latex condoms correctly from start to finish with each act of vaginal or anal intercourse

using a condom cut open, dental dam, or house hold non-microwavable plastic wrap while performing each act of oral sex on a woman

using a latex condom correctly from start to finish while performing each act of oral sex on a man

engaging in safer sex practices that involve no penetration such as dry kissing, massaging, hugging, touching, body-rubbing, and masturbation

6. Infection through blood can be stopped. Blood for transfusion can be tested for HIV infection and discarded if contaminated. Needles, syringes, and other skin-piercing instruments should be sterilized or discarded after each use and should never be shared.

7. You do not get HIV from:

donating blood
mosquito and other bug bites
sharing cups and utensils
sneezes or coughs
hugging, touching, or dry kissing a person with HIV
sharing telephones, computers, or coffee pots
going to any public place (pools, movies, etc.) with HIV infected people
drinking fountains or toilet seats

8. Discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS - or those thought to be at risk of infection - violates individual human rights and endangers public health. It gives people outside the stigmatized group a sense that the threat of infection, and thus the need for personal precautions, has been removed. It also drives the AIDS problem underground, making all efforts at prevention and care much more difficult.

9. AIDS affects everyone; educate yourself and others. Every day, over 8,500 people worldwide are newly infected with HIV. Be aware of the behaviors that could put you at risk. The disease affects people of all geographic locations, ages, races, ethnicities, social classes and sexual orientations. Education is crucial in both helping to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and ensuring compassion for those affected by and infected with HIV/AIDS.

10. You can help stop the spread of HIV/AIDS! Get involved in community efforts to increase awareness and to express solidarity and compassion. Join the worldwide effort stop the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Source: American Association for World Health 093096

This reproducible fact sheet is provided by the Connecticut Clearinghouse, a program of Wheeler Clinic, Inc. The Connecticut Clearinghouse is funded by the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.

334 Farmington Avenue Plainville, CT 06062 1-800-232-4424/(860) 793-9791

http://www.ctclearinghouse.org
e-mail: ctclearinghouse.org