A. Preventing Sexual transmission of HIV
Know your Partner
     Whether you are male or female- heterosexual, homosexual or bisexual - your risk of acquiring HIV infection is deirectly related to the likelihood that your partner is infected. Your risk is substantially higher if your partner has ever injected drugs, has unprotected sex with casual partners, or has a sexual history unknown to you.

Understand which sexual acts put you at most risk
     All forms of penetrative sexual intercourse (anal, vaginal, oral) with an HIV infected man or woman carry a risk of transmission. Unprotected anal intercourse is one of the riskiest practices. This is true even when a condom is used because of the increased likelihood that the condom will be damaged during this form of sex. Unprotected vaginal intercourse carries the next highest risk of infection. Oral sex also carries a small risk of transmission, particularly if there are mouth or throat injuries rpesent such as bleeding gums, lesions, sores, abscessed teeth, throat infections, or oral STDs present. To protect yourself, always use a condom during penetrative sexual acts. Or, to be even saferm you can engage in sexual practices that involve no penetration such as caressing or massaging ay part of the body, masturbation (provided that sexual secretions do not come in contact with cuts or sores on the other partner's skin) and kissing that does not involve heavy exchange of saliva and possibly blood. The safest course of all is abstinence.

Seek medical advice or treatment for STDs
     The presence of an untreated sexually transmitted disease - such as gonorrhoea, chlamydial infection, syphilis, herpes or genital warts - can enhance both your acquisition and transmission of HIV by a factor of up to 10. If you suspect you have an STD, or have been exposed to one, it is imperative that you seek medical advice and treatment immediately.
     Common symptoms include an unusual discharge from the vagina or penis, burning or pain during urination, and sores or blisters near the mouth or genitals. Other symptoms in women may include unusual bleeding (other than the menstrual cycle) and vaginal pain during intercourse.

B. Preventing transmission of HIV via blood and blood products
     In industrialised countries, the risk of transmission of HIV via blood and blood products is very rare for each unit of blood transfused.
     It is also very rare to contract HIV in the health care setting. For example, evidence from the USA indicates that health care workers who accidentally puncture their skin with a needle contaminated with HIV have an estimated risk of less that five in a 1000 (0.5 percent) of developing HIV infection.
     Also, HIV is a fragile virus, meaning it is vulnerable to changes in temperature and other environmental factors, and has been shown not to be viable in dried blood for more than an hour. The concentratin of virus particles of HIV per millilitre of blood is also very low in contrast to other viruses. Despite the low level of occupational risk posed by HIV, safe work practices should be followed at all times by laboratory personnel and health workers.

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