|   It is better to be afraid…   |    The ways of adolescent sexuality   |

It is better
to be afraid…

Do you believe you are not at risk of AIDS causing HIV infection? Maybe you should think about this again. Many of those now infected with HIV shared your opinion previously. Most of them had not even heard about AIDS or how they could have avoided being infected with HIV. You must know about it since you can still protect yourself!

The panic aroused ten years ago has passed, and the healthy fear is now also fading. This is manifested by the less frequent media coverage of AIDS, and it is also apparent that the young people are often forgetting to use protection.

It is true that in 1996 the death toll of AIDS in Western Europe alone was twenty thousand, this figure has decreased to 3,500 now because of the discovery of drugs that delay the development of the disease. After this temporary decrease, the HIV-virus that causes the disease is again infecting 30-40 thousand persons annually. Additionally, in case anyone has forgotten, there is still no permanent cure for AIDS. Nevertheless, the situation is still the best in Western Europe.

Fact: 2.5 million people died of AIDS in 2002 around the world, 2 million of this in Africa. At present, the number of HIV infection cases is growing most rapidly in the Asian republics of the former Soviet Union. According to the UN, the number of the HIV-virus carriers in Eastern Europe grew to 1.8 million from the 30-40 thousand that was estimated five years ago. The worst situation can be found in Russia, Ukraine, and in two new EU member countries, Estonia and Latvia. In Ukraine, 60,000 AIDS patients are registered officially, but according to specialists at least 400,000 persons are carrying the virus.

WHAT IS HIV? WHAT IS AIDS?

HIV is the virus (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) that causes AIDS, which is the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.

Persons who are infected by HIV generally seem to be healthy for years, and they really feel fit; usually they don't even know that they are infected, but indeed they can pass on the virus to others. The state of being a carrier can last about 10 years on average. In half of the cases, 2-3 weeks after the infection, symptoms of a viral infection (common cold, cervical lymphoma, fatigue) can occur, then these symptoms disappear. In the following symptom-free period, the virus is significantly propagated and cells of the immune system get primarily infected. The number of the immune cells gradually decreases until there are too few to fight against diseases and infections, so various sickness symptoms appear. From this time on, AIDS can be spoken of.

HIV infection of our immune system cannot be cured with the knowledge we have today. There are known drug combinations that can effectively keep the multiplication of the virus at a low level. In most cases, diseases appearing in the phase of AIDS can be totally cured if they are seen and treated by a specialist in time. It is necessary therefore that the person infected by HIV should keep contact with a competent expert doctor, and turn to him with any complaint in time.

HOW IS HIV SPREAD?

• Sexual intercourse with an HIV-positive person;
• Sharing a needle or syringe with an infected person;
• An infected mother can infect her baby.

Fact: The virus can be found in all of the body's secretions, but infection only occurs through sexual discharge, blood, and breast milk. The virus is highly concentrated in these fluids, and causes infection by entering the bloodstream.

The virus content of other body fluids like saliva, tears, sweat, urine, and stool is negligible, so far no infection has occurred through them. If significant amounts of blood get into the saliva (extensive bleeding of the gums, raw wound in the mouth), it can cause an infection there.

FROM MOTHER TO CHILD

Women are 1.7 times more susceptible to get HIV infection than men (although this is true for passive male partners too).

Contagion from mother to child can happen during pregnancy, child delivery, and also during nursing. In cases of newborns, the fact of the infection cannot be determined in the early age. In Europe, it is a common guideline that the infected mother should not breast-feed her baby. By heating to 56 degrees of Celsius, the contaminated milk looses its pathogenicity.

BLOOD TRANSFUSION

The donated blood can be contaminated even if antibodies cannot be detected in it. Thus the receiver person can get infected from the blood product.

WHAT IS IT THAT DOES NOT TRANSMIT
HIV INFECTION?

HIV can not be transmitted through saliva, sweat, tears, urine, or stool, or by sneezing on one another, use of a common toilet, everyday contact, shared meals, cutlery, food prepared or served by an infected person, commuting, doing school or workplace activities, use of a common telephone or computer, mosquitoes and blood sucking insects, donating blood (to be the donor), hugging and hand shaking, use of common bath, swimming pool, or by being close to an infected person. We can live or work together with an HIV infected person even in the phase of AIDS. Make sure no to use a common razorblade or a common toothbrush!

Fact: Your skin protects you from the pathogens, so from HIV too. The virus cannot pass through healthy skin and mucous membranes. Infected blood, sexual discharge getting on sound skin cannot cause disease. Wash these off, but don't use strong cleaning and brushing that can hurt your skin!

Fact: You "can not catch" HIV like common cold or influenza. In contrast to other viruses, HIV is not transmitted through air and water.

PREVENTION OF HIV INFECTION

Use of a condom helps in preventing not only HIV infection but also other sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancy.

DON'T FORGET THE FOLLOWING

• HIV does not get transmitted by kissing, hugging, or body contact when no blood or sexual discharge can get into the circulation.
• The skin is a natural hindrance against infection.
• No tool or object that can hurt the skin should be used together with others.
• Don't use a needle that someone else has already used for tattooing, ear piercing, or anything else.

WHAT CAN BE DONE IF ONE OF
MY ACQUAINTENCES IS INFECTED WITH HIV?

Friendship will not get you infected by HIV. Remember, HIV does net get transmitted by everyday contacts. This means that you cannot get an infection from going to the same school or workplace, or from having a party together with HIV-positive or AIDS persons.

You can safely hold somebody's hand or hug someone. There are many ways to help people with HIV infection. Friendship is one of the great means of help. Sharing your knowledge with others can also help. Your behavior supporting people who are HIV-positive and who have the AIDS disease can show an example to be followed by others!

|   It is better to be afraid…   |    The ways of adolescent sexuality   |

Children in prepuberty, in the process of sexual development, are inclined to ease their inner tension by playing and stimulating their genitals. We cannot call this sexuality because that means so much more! Those who stop at this phase miss out on many of life's pleasures.

Masturbation does help in alleviating tension that is caused by sex hormones that flood our system in puberty. Boys do not need to be taught because they discover this on their own. When their "real" sexual life begins – with the first woman – they instantly experience how much better it is if an actual live person is their partner.

For girls it is more difficult. They "learn" the methods of masturbation by reading and from girl friends. If a girl gets comfortable with a showerhead or a vibrator, it is difficult to wean her off of it. Namely, their first sexual experience is imprinting, in most cases determining. If the first incident is pleasurable, they will look for that same feeling again. On the other hand, if the first one was overtly uncomfortable they will reject sex altogether. And where is a man who could compete with a vibrator or a shower? It is advisable for adolescent girls to just use their hands but infrequently.

Masturbation is different for adults in situations when someone's partner is old or sick and they do not live a married life, or for persons who have lost their partner and live alone. They do not need to worry about becoming "accustomed" to anything. According to gynecologists, orgasm in women means a "cleaning" in the pelvis, thus, it is healthy. This is why women should allow themselves this. Sexual desire is decreasing anyway when living without a partner, and this is why there is much less tension than in teen-age years.

Turning to the pubescent years again – 11 to 12 for girls, 14 for boys – making friendship with those of the same sex decreases the difficulties of the confrontation with the other sex and makes it possible to build up harmonious relations quickly. This connection cannot be called homoerotic! The adolescent leaving this phase tends more toward heterosexuality. First they are just interested in members of the other sex, then they have a revelation that there is someone to whom they are strongly attracted, often only because of their pleasing appearance.

When, though, they truly fall in love, not only does the person's physical appearance attract them but the personality, behavior, and individuality is captivating. There is no difference in quality between the love for a spouse, a sister or brother, and a child, only the expression of the feelings is different. The characteristics of love, to give generously and for free, are shared in all forms of love. Sexuality should also remind every human being that we were born to love and be loved, and our fundamental mission is love.

|   It is better to be afraid…   |    The ways of adolescent sexuality   |