If you are a heterosexual, married or single, you too can be at risk of contracting the HIV/AIDS virus. In preparation of World AIDS Day, I have to tackle all aspects of the spectrum and get the word out about prevention. Earlier this week, I talked about homosexual and youth affected by this deadly virus. Today, I have to stress the message that even though you’re a heterosexual male or female, you need to know the importance of safe sex as well!
And just because you’re sleeping with one person, it doesn’t mean your partner is sleeping with just YOU! Having the talk is awkward but picture having the talk when you get the news that you’re HIV positive and they’ve been the only person you’ve been sleeping with?
Here are a few tips:
- Talk to your partner as if he/she were your best friend. “Above all, I respect you as a friend, and I don’t want either of us to get HIV and other STDs. We’ve got to be safe and use condoms.”
- Suggest getting tested for HIV together. The experience may bring you closer emotionally. “I’ll feel better if we know our HIV status before having sex. Let’s get tested together.”
- Be prepared to state your concerns around HIV and/or pregnancy and don’t back down. “I really want to be with you, but we haven’t been tested yet. We’ve got to be safe and use condoms.”
- If you haven’t used condoms in the past and want to start, try explaining that you need to do things differently. “I know we haven’t used condoms in the past, but now I realize that was a mistake. We need to be smarter.”
HIV does not discriminate. Anyone can get it if he or she is not careful. You
have probably heard many times about the importance of using condoms and
practicing safe sex. Here is another reminder, and some tips about communicating
openly with your sex partners.
The distribution of the estimated number of diagnoses of HIV infection among adults and adolescents in the 46 states with confidential name-based HIV infection reporting, by transmission category, follows. A breakdown by sex is provided where appropriate.
Transmission Category | Estimated Number of Diagnoses of HIV Infection, 2010 | ||
---|---|---|---|
Adult and Adolescent Males | Adult and Adolescent Females | Total | |
Male-to-male sexual contact | 28,782 | – | 28,782 |
Injection drug use | 2,373 | 1,393 | 3,766 |
Male-to-male sexual contact and injection drug use | 1,443 | – | 1,443 |
Heterosexual contacta | 4,416 | 8,459 | 12,875 |
Otherb | 31 | 16 | 47 |