On November 28, 2023, on the eve of World AIDS Day, which is celebrated annually on December 1, I. A. Venchikova, a doctor and epidemiologist at the AIDS Center, held a meeting with students.
Despite the fact that people started talking about the immunodeficiency virus more than 40 years ago and achieved a lot in treatment, the problem still remains unsolved. Moreover, HIV has gone beyond key groups and is quite decisively “knocking” on the doors of ordinary citizens, ordinary families of Kazakhstanis. Therefore, you need to be on your guard. And to do this, have basic knowledge about HIV infection, ways of transmission and methods of prevention to avoid infection.
Many people believe that if you do not use drugs and are not a sex worker, then it is impossible to become infected with HIV. In reality, casual sexual intercourse without protection carries a high risk of HIV infection. One of the misconceptions is that a respectable person cannot become infected with HIV. In fact, they can. The virus does not choose age, appearance, position, wealth, the virus doesn’t care. But a person can choose behavior that eliminates the risk of HIV infection.
To be sure, you need to get tested for the virus and know exactly your HIV status. It is especially important to do this after casual sexual intercourse or risky injection . Currently, 70% of HIV infections are transmitted sexually.
In Kazakhstan, over 30 thousand people are registered living with HIV infection, most of them are people from 18 to 45 years old, that is, the most active and able-bodied part of the population. Today, these people can live full lives thanks to timely detection of HIV infection and treatment with antiretroviral therapy.
HIV cannot be cured, but it can be reduced so much that the life of an HIV-infected person will be practically no different from life without HIV.
At the end of the meeting, information materials were distributed and testing on the topic was conducted.
