Can AIDS be picked up from sex?
The virus that causes AIDS is called the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). It can be passed to someone else when semen, vaginal secretions, or blood from an infected person get into the body of an uninfected person. This can happen during oral, vaginal, or anal sex. This virus can be passed on in 3 ways: • Unprotected sex with an infected person • Sharing an infected person’s needle during drug or steroid use • From a mother to her baby during pregnancy or breast-feeding Most people with HIV do not look sick until they have had the virus for many years. During that time, the only way to find out whether a person has the virus is to take an HIV test. Unless you know for sure that neither you nor your sexual partner has the virus, and that both of you are careful to avoid infection, you should practice safer sex. Examples of safer sex include: • Touching each other’s genitals with the hands. • Oral sex with a man if he wears a condom from start to finish. A woman should never taste or
