HIV is the Human Immune-deficiency Virus.
HIV is found in body fluids such as blood, semen, vaginal fluid, breast milk and other fluids containing blood. Contact with saliva, tears, or sweat has never been shown to result in transmission of HIV.

People take risks every day, often without knowing it.
Some people may run across a busy highway; others may drive without a seatbelt or drive when they are drunk. In all of these instances they place their lives at risk.

In South Africa 90% of people under the age of 30 and more than 60% of those under the age of 40 describe themselves as being single which means they have no partner, they are not married, living together or in a steady relationship with someone. Being single does not mean that they do not have sex and there are many different types of sexual partnerships.

Hey we all like a good party but HIV likes a good booza party too.  When we drink too much alcohol we act differently as to if we were sober. When we have a few too many we are more likely to make decisions that put our lives at risk like driving a car or having sex.

Many young men and women today engage in sexual relationships with older men and women that place them at risk of HIV. The older partners are not necessarily old fat cats they can be five to ten years older than their partners. They can be rich or poor and the gifts they give in exchange for sex can vary from for cool stuff like cellphones, cash and credit cards and popular fashion labels to simple gifts such as snacks or cosmetics in exchange for sex.

Words are risky because often what we say and what we mean are two different things.  Some people are often coerced into sex even if they may not feel ready to do it. Someone people may say that they love you and if you love them you will have sex with them. This places pressure on you because you may be fearful that if you were to say no lets wait a while you may loose the relationship. But often even when you say yes, this may also result in the relationship coming to an end. Scutinize the true meaning of love – because if they love you they will wait for you. And when you decide to have sex use condoms or test together before taking your relationship to the next level.

Condoms are 80 – 90% effective in reducing the risk of HIV when used correctly and consistently with all partners and also effective to prevent other sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy. There are many myths and half truths about condoms, here’s where you get to scrutinize the facts from the myths about condoms.