just Say no toHIV / Aids!

The Ministry of Health has stated that the number of HIV cases in Sri Lanka are on the rise. According to available statistics,there are 3,000 documented cases of HIV/AIDS in total within the country, with a majority of those infected being males.

Meanwhile the Health Ministry notes that during the last year, 22,059 people have visited STD clinics set up countrywide.

What is HIV?
The letters HIV stand for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. There are two types of HIV: HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-1 is responsible for vast majority of infections globally, including in Sri Lanka. Only certain types of body fluids (Eg: blood, semen, pre-ejaculatory fluid, rectal secretions, vaginal secretions, CSF, breast milk etc.) of an HIV-infected person carry higher concentration of the virus which is adequate for effective transmission to another person following an exposure. Followed by a significant exposure, these high risk body fluids must come into contact with a mucous membrane, damaged tissue or else directly enter into the bloodstream (from a needle or a syringe) for HIV transmission to occur. Rectum, vagina, glans penis and the oral cavity are lined by mucous membranes. When a person has a sexually transmitted infection (STIs), he or she has a higher risk of acquiring the HIV infection via unprotected sex, in comparison to a person without an