Hello, I\u2019m Tim Loughborough from Hounslow Youth and Community Service
and as most of you know this is my colleague Mark Wainwright. We\u2019re here to
talk about HIV/AIDS and World AIDS Day.

HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus; it is not the same as AIDS.
Having HIV (being HIV positive) is not the same as having AIDS but HIV is the
cause of AIDS. HIV damages your body\u2019s ability to fight off infections. But it
is possible to be HIV positive for many years before it does enough damage
to make you ill. Because of this we can\u2019t tell if somebody has HIV by looking
at them.

AIDS is not a disease in itself. It is the name for a group of unusual infections
and cancers that people become vulnerable to as a result of the damage to
their immune system by the HI Virus. AIDS stands for Acquired Immune
Deficiency Syndrome.

We all come into contact with the organisms that cause the diseases that
make up AIDS on a regular basis. However a healthy immune system can
fight these infections and as a result there is no risk of becoming ill. HIV
severely damages the bodies natural defences meaning that people who are
HIV positive are less able to stop these organisms causing disease.

When someone with HIV shows signs of one of more of these opportunistic
infections, they are said to have AIDS. AIDS infections cause really serious
illnesses and death. New drug treatments, known as Combination Therapies,
can help prevent this and allow the body to rebuild its defences. Though they
are not a cure \u2013 they extend a person\u2019s life but ultimately they will still die as a
result of AIDS infections.

The first, and most common, is sex. If you have anal or vaginal sex with
someone who has HIV you are at risk of contracting the virus UNLESS you
use a condom. Performing oral sex on a man without a condom, or a woman
without a dental dam, also carries a risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted
infections.

Then we have Sharing Needles. If you share needles or any other dug
injecting equipment with somebody who is HIV positive you are at risk of
becoming infected. Even minute traces of HIV infected blood can put you at
risk.

Mother to baby. If a pregnant woman has HIV she can pass it to her child in
three ways:
During pregnancy, during birth or while breast-feeding. You may remember a
recent court case where a mother insisted on breast-feeding despite her HIV
positive status. There are proven ways to reduce this risk to only 1 in 10
babies but the risk remains.

The fourth means of transmission is through infected blood. You can get HIV
as a result of infected blood, blood products or donated organs if the donor
was HIV positive. The chances of this happening in the UK are very slim as
all donations of blood or tissues are screened for HIV.

As we said before, there is no cure for HIV. Combinations of drugs can slow down the damage HIV does to the immune system but this is all they do. The onset of AIDS can be delayed but not stopped. For most people combination

If anyone is concerned about their own HIV status, a simple blood test to look for HIV antibodies, the immune systems response to HIV, can be performed. Because it can take the body up to 3 months to make these antibodies you must wait three months from the time you put yourself at risk until the test is performed. A long time to wait and worry in anyone\u2019s book.

The only protection we have against HIV is our own actions. Using Condoms,
not sharing injecting equipment and, in the case of expectant HIV positive
mothers, following medical advice to reduce the risk to the baby.

World AIDS Day is an international event co-ordinated by the World Health
Organisation. It is about keeping up the fight against AIDS. About supporting
the 34.7 million people throughout the world who are living with HIV and AIDS.
World AIDS Day is about remembering that every single Day over 8,000
people die as a result of AIDS.

Working together to fight discrimination.
Organising effective activities within your community.
Responding to the needs of those living with HIV/AIDS.
Listening to each other\u2019s thoughts and feelings about HIV/AIDS issues.
Delivering messages of compassion and hope to those affected by