Aids And Drug Abuse

The two groups at greatest risk for AIDS are homosexual or

bisexual men and people who shoot drugs.  People who use needles

to inject drugs (including mainliners and skin poppers) get the

virus by sharing their works with other users who already have

the AIDS virus in their blood.

You can't always tell who is infected with the AIDS virus.  Most

people actually carrying the virus don't look any different than

anybody else, they look and feel well, but they can still spread

the disease.  Symptoms of AIDS may not show up for many years and

some remain without symptoms even then.  Thousands of IV drug

abusers already have AIDS, and many thousands more are carriers

of the virus.

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a serious condition

that affects the body's ability to fight off infection.  A

diagnosis of AIDS is made when a person develops some form of life-

threatening illness not usually found in a person with a normal

ability to fight infection.  To date more that fifty percent of

all the persons with AIDS have died.

Shooting drugs has now been determined to be one of the biggest

problems facing America today.  While the homosexual community has

put on a media campaign alerting and educating the public about

the dangers of AIDS, nothing is being done to stop the widespread

sharing of needles among drug users.

Remember, if you shoot drugs, you are in danger of catching AIDS. 

The best advice for protecting yourself and people you love is to

stop shooting drugs.  It is also important to note that women who

shoot drugs or who live with men who shoot drugs sometimes gives

AIDS to their babies, either before or shortly after birth.  Babies

born with AIDS become ill very quickly.

Most individuals infected with the AIDS virus have no symptoms and

feel well for a long time before eventually developing such symptoms

as fever and night sweats, weight loss, swollen lymph glands in the

neck, the underarms and groin area, sever fatigue or tiredness,

diarrhea, white spots or unusual blemishes in the mouth.  These

symptoms are also symptoms of a number of other illnesses and that

should be taken into consideration.  Anyone with any of these symptoms

for more than two weeks should not panic buy should consult their

doctor.

The AIDS virus is not spread through normal daily contact at work,

school or home.  There have been no cases found where the virus has

been transmitted by casual contact with AIDS patients in the home,

workplace, or health care setting.

There is an antibody test that detects antibodies to the AIDS virus

that causes the disease.  The body produces antibodies that try to

get rid of bacteria, viruses, or anything else that is not supposed

to be in the bloodstream.  The test may show if someone has been

infected with the AIDS virus.  While the testing procedure is

considered accurate, it does not tell who will develop full-blown

AIDS.