HIV is the virus that causes AIDS. You can have HIV in your body for many years and not feel or look sick. HIV slowly makes it harder for your body to fight off diseases. You can get HIV from having sex (vaginal, oral or anal) with someone who has HIV. You can also get it by sharing needles for drugs, or by sharing instruments used for piercing or tattoos. If you are pregnant and have HIV, you can give it to your baby before or during birth and when you breast feed.

HIV is spread through five body fluids:

 blood,

semen (cum),

pre-cum,

vaginal fluid

breast milk.

To avoid infection, don't do things that put you in contact with the human fluids that can carry HIV. Be smart in what you do:

1. Use a new (not expired) latex condom every time you have any kind of sex;
2. Limit your number of partners;
3. Talk openly with your partner(s) about each others sexual history, whether either have HIV, and steps you will take to prevent infection;
4. Do not use needles, or only use new ones;
5. Get tested for HIV and other STIs every six months.

Even though the risk of getting HIV from oral sex is low, there is still a risk. The risk of getting other STIs like Chlamydia or Gonorrhea is greater. Male condoms and dental dams are suggested to help prevent disease transmission from oral sex. Hugging, kissing, shaking hands, sneezing or coughing, sharing eating utensils or food, swimming in a pool DO NOT spread HIV. HIV is a HUMAN virus, meaning you cannot get it from mosquitoes, a dog bite, or anything other than humans.

Routine testing for HIV does not prevent the disease, but will tell you if you have HIV or not. If you get HIV, the virus stays in you whether you feel symptoms or not. A TEST IS THE ONLY WAY TO KNOW IF YOU HAVE HIV. There are different types of HIV tests, but the easiest and quickest is called a rapid oral HIV test. This test can be done by gently running a swab (like a Q-tip) around the inside of your mouth. Then the swab is put in a special solution. You get the test results within 20-40 minutes. Taking a drop of blood from your finger is another way of doing this rapid test. Sometimes your doctor or health care professional will suggest that you have a standard blood test where they take blood from your arm and send it to a laboratory. If it is done this way, the results will be back to your doctor in about one week.

The Saban Free Clinic provides CONFIDENTIAL rapid oral HIV counseling and testing. If you walk in to our clinic without a parent, you must be at least 13 years old. While our records are 100% confidential, you must sign your name on the consent form before we can do the test. A very caring counselor does a private counseling session with you and then gives you the test results. If you have any questions about this test, call our Information Line. We offer rapid HIV testing and counseling free of charge and you do not need an appointment.