5 Things Any Student Should Know About AIDS

Traditionally, Dec. 1 is the World AIDS Day and this year it has the 30th anniversary. Although it's an old topic and you surely heard a lot about AIDS from parents and school teachers, there are some facts any student should know. Here’s what the Typical Student team is going to tell you about.

The University of Iowa

So, on the 30th anniversary of World AIDS Day, which is Dec. 1, Iowa students are taking part in IC Red Week activities. It is made to grab people’s attention to the AIDS problem. “So many people don’t know it’s still an issue,” says Chelsea Higgins, an executive director of IC Red. “We’re trying to raise awareness and reduce stigma and make talking about it less taboo.”

5 Things You Should Know About AIDS

• To start with, AIDS’ was a catch-all term for multiple medical conditions associated with an unknown virus. Today, we don’t say AIDS, We say HIV instead. Surely, AIDS is still a medical term for a specific bunch of illnesses which appears when the immune system collapses as a result of HIV.
• Secondly, HIV can only be transmitted by certain bodily fluids. In order to cause infection, these need to reach the blood through skin breaks or cuts, a mucous membrane or direct injection into the bloodstream. 
• Thirdly, HIV also can’t wiggle its way through a condom if it’s used properly.
• Fourthly, people can live with it! In 1996, after the thing named ‘highly active antiretroviral treatment’, was discovered, people who were ill just saw their health improve dramatically. The investigation showed that HIV-associated deaths declined by 60% to 80%.
• Finally, keep in mind that the only way to know your status is to take a blood test.