Dass des Schülers bester Freund, Google auch mal sehr seltsame Ergebnisse ausspucken kann, wissen wir ja bereits alle. Aus einem Grund, den ich nicht weiter erläutern will, suchte ich nach A, dem ersten Buchstaben des lateinischen Alphabets, hierbei stieß ich auf höchst seltsame Seiten. Der Interesse halber, liste ich euch mal die skurrilsten Internetseiten auf auf, welche auf den ersten Seiten der Suchergebnisse zu jedem Buchstaben herausgespuckt werden:

A
1000 Arten, ein Bier zu öffnen. Unter anderem mit Brot, Fahrradschläuchen, Erdbohrern und einem Stowasser.

B

4chan, die größte Picdump-Seite, die es wohl im ganzen Internet zu geben scheint (sage und schreibe 13 Gigabyte voller motivational posters und GIFs).

C

… leider nur lauter (bl)öde Artikel über die Programmiersprache C.

D

Was zur Hölle? Die Webseite von Detlef D! Soost, wohl die schlechteste Webseite nach ingenfeld.de und Karl Fritsch.

E

e-Latein, ein Online-Portal, nicht nur für Latein-Hausaufgaben und Übersetzungen. Könnte sich doch ml als nützlich erweisen.

F

f*cking queers, der Blog für sexuelle Disintegration … WTF?! Ob dieser Blog jetzt nun sexuelle Irritationen toleriert oder nicht, sei mal dahingestellt (ich konnte es jedenfalls nicht herausfinden), jedenfalls eine äußerst amüsante Seite.

G

Nein, nicht der als auch Gräfenberg-Zone bekannte G-Punkt kommt als erster, sondern die Gravitationskonstante: gravitational constant = 6.67300 × 10^-11 m³ kg^-1 s^-2

H

h_da, die Hochschule Darmstadt (rectal town?^^).

I

Genial, I Love Graffiti, eine Graffiti-Fanpage, mit teilweise echt gelungenen Zeichnungen.

Sabotaje al Montaje

J

J-Comm – Jewish Community, eine jüdische Seite, die es weiß Weblog und Community elegant miteinander verschmelzen zu lassen.

K

K Messe, die internationale Fachmesse für Kunststoff und Kautschuk – aahja, interessant was es heutzutage alles auf dem Messemarkt so gibt.

L

L’Osservatore Romano, Online-Ausgabe einer Zeitung des heiligen Stuhls, leider nur die Titelseite – ich hätte zu gerne darüber hergezogen.

M

MaJa-Aktuell natürlich, was denkt ihr euch eigentlich? (Nein, eigentlich die Webseite von Michael Schumacher.)

N

N, ein verdammt geiles Arcade-Game auf Addictinggames.

O

TH-O Smileys, eine Webseite mit scheinbar unendlich vielen ASCII-Smileys.

P

Nik P., Mark Medlock, nur schlechter?

Q

Der CPU-Emulator Q – [kju:] für Mac OS X. Aha, muss ich gleich mal ‘runterladen.

R

Schonwieder eine Programmiersprache, R.

S

O.K., es wir wieder Interessant: Chris’ FKK-Homepage (Ich musste wirklich äußerst genau überlegen, ob ich es verlinke. Ich kam zu dem Schluss, dass es euer Bier ist, ob ihr es anklickt bleibt ja euch selber überlassen. Macht es trotzdem lieber nicht!).

T

Ratgeber für Existenzgründer, wtf?

U

1 Rack unit = 4.44500 centimeters… was auch immer es sein soll, es ist 4,445 cm lang.

V

V Magazine, ein ‘Lifestyle’-Magazin. Selbstbeschreibung: V is a magazine about fashion with a capital F and all the things that go with it: art, music, film, architecture…you name it.  -> FAIL!?

W

W:O:A – das Wacken Open-Air-Metalfestival. So muss das sein, braver Google-Indizes-Bot!

X

X-Socks, die wohl coolste Sockenfirma der Welt! Wie kann man so einen scheiß nur so genial umwerben? (Ich… brauche… neue… X-Socken… muss kaufen… arrgh!)

Y

Y-berholspur, das Beratungszentrum für Bundeswehr-Wirtschaft. Gelungener Wortwitz!

Z

Atomwaffen A-Z, endlich mal eine Seite, die wirklich essentielle Dinge des täglichen Gebrauchs behandelt! Nur zu empfehlen…

It’s laugh-a-minute around here. The University of New Hampshire has determined that spanking unruly ankle-biters stunts their IQ. This is based on 1500 overgrown sperm who were given an IQ test, then another after four years. Murray says that the study took into account “parental education, income, cognitive stimulation by parents and other factors that could affect children’s mental abilities.” And that, “You can’t say it proves it, but I think it rules out so many other alternatives; I am convinced that spanking does cause a slowdown in a child’s development of mental abilities.” I fucking love studies like this, because they are the sweet, supple love tunnel into which I can pound my eternal rage.

For starters, let’s explain correlation vs causation. For all you dumbasses out there, here are two things that correlate: drinking coffee and eating bagels. One does not cause the other. They just happen to occur at the same time because it’s fucking breakfast time and I’m too hung over for eggs. On the other hand, drinking coffee does incite my infamous cross-species orgies. How do I know? Because the orgy only happens after coffee, coffee always signals an impending orgy, and no other variable exists (like, say, a trip to the petting zoo). This study only shows correlation, and can easily be turned on its head to indicate that children with lower IQ scores are assholes that need to have the shit beat out of them. Which is indisputable truth.

Now let’s take a look at their premise: Spanking is traumatic, so it keeps the brain from developing correctly. Children who are spanked don’t learn anything, which further hurts their intelligence. Let me tell you what’s traumatic. Baby rape is traumatic. And Halloween pranks, like murdering an entire family and heckling the lone survivor. And middle school. And we don’t just let kids do without that shit. It builds character. And you know why kids don’t have independent thinking skills? Because their parents fill their heads with intelligent design and abstinence-only and party lines and drugs-are-bad. (m’kay?) They’re told what to eat, wear, believe and do. Their friends are audited by the ‘rents. Their films are censored. Their language is controlled. And everything’s full of fucking MSG. Wonder why the future of America is so goddamned idiotic? They’re bred for it.

But the funniest thing about this whole mug of rectal vomit is that IQ doesn’t mean a fucking thing. It doesn’t make your cock thicker or guarantee a better job. (Isn’t it great to know that the people who pick celery for a living are smarter than the police?) It’s not a superpower, like a laser that cuts through bank vaults and makes you impervious to serrated weapons. It makes you pompous, shallow and boring. Want a better adult? Kick your kid until blood comes out his ears. Then give him some books, the right to disagree with the house standard, and fifteen minutes of alone-time with the cat. Let natural selection weed out the unfit specimens. We don’t need people with magic self-esteem numbers. We need ruthless bastards with firm opinions and open minds. And lubricant. Lots and lots of lubricant.

“Je préfèrerais subir un toucher rectal diffusé en direct à la télé et fait par un idiot aux mains gelées qu’avoir à tenir une page Facebook !”
George Clooney

source

Can't find a holiday here...

I hate the word staycation.

Holidays are meant to invoke feelings of excitement, passion, longing. Glamour if you are lucky (and that’s way before we get anywhere near bragging rights). 

The language surrounding your precious time off should amplify those sentiments, and not overtones of some kind of invasive medical procedure..

I digress.

For those of us choosing to holiday at home (or partake in a little staycation if we must), the British coast has some real hidden gems. But how does one unearth them?

Well, in conjunction with VisitBritain Scott Ramsay (travel writer, photographer and blogger extrarodinaire) is going to drive around the coast of mainland Britain, visit the ‘kiss me quick’ popular tourist traps, but also do his very best to take the a-roads…

He hopes to explore some remote spots, and unlock some of those gems for those looking for something more from a holiday at home…

Although we’re a tiny wee island, his tour will see him take right round virtually our entire coastline.

He’s also rather handily googlemapped his route, so people can not only follow his blog (a nice blend of photos, videos and wordage), but can immediately identify those gems close to them for a sneaky weekend away, as opposed to going the whole hog like him.

Not a bad way to spend a month. But for his sake, I do hope he’s a member of  Shell’s loyalty scheme so he’s getting his airmiles for his next break!

Iain Morrison is a senior marketer in the British Tourism Industry. And is thinking of offering up his blogging services to fund his next vacation…

Ozon-Oksijen tedavisi, dahilen, haricen veya kombine olarak kullanılabilir.Transfer ve direkt tedaviler olarak bir çok metotlarla uygulanabilir.

1) Majör Ozon Tedavisi:
Bu metod extracorporal dediğimiz damar dışında ozonlanan kanın tekrar dolaşım sistemin verilmesi olarak tarif edilebilir. Hastalardan belirli miktarlarda alınan kan steril şartlarda ozonlanarak hastaya tekrar verilir. Çok etkili bir yöntemdir. Yaklaşık 20 dakika sürer. Endikasyonuna değişmekle beraber en az 10 seans yapılmalıdır.
Bu tedavide alınan kan yine yapılma endikasyanuna göre değişmekle birlikte 50-270cc arasında değişebilir.

2) Minör Ozon Tedavisi:
Bu tedavide belirli miktarlarda alınan kan ozonlanarak kas içine uygulanır

3) Torbalama ve Vakum Tedavisi:
Özellikle iyileşmeyen yaraların tedavisinde kullanılan bu yöntemde ozon uygulanacak alana lokal olarak ozonun etki etmesi sağlanır.

4) Rectal Ozon Uygulamaları(insuflasyonu):
Ozon gazının rectal olarak verilmesi yöntemidir. Bazı araştırmacılar en az majör ozon tedavisi kadar etkili olduğunu söylemektedir.Daha çoğunlukla majör tedavinin uygulanamadığı durumlarda ve barsak içi patolojilerde tercih edilir.

5) İntraartiküler Ozon Tedavisi:
Eklem içine ozon gazı verilerek yapılan ve eklem kıkırdaklarının kendisini tamir etmesini sağlayan bir yöntemdir.

6) İntraauriküler (kulak içi uygulamalar):
Kronik otitis media ve akut duyma kayıplarında endikedir.

Unfortunately if you were celebrating your birthday today, it’s gonna suck.

Earlier today the epitome of 70’s sex, Farrah Fawcett passed away after a brave battle with rectal cancer.  Her war with her cancer was documented in “Farrah’s Story,” which documented her valiant effort and unwavering spirit while fighting against her disease.

But to add insult to injury, it is now being reported that Michael Jackson a.k.a. the “King of Pop” and arguably the most famous man on earth has indeed suffered from a heart attack, was not breathing when EMTs arrived at his home in Holby Hills and is now either dead and/or in a coma at a medical center at UCLA.  While it has not been confirmed Michael Jackson is dead, authorities are saying he is in terrible shape.  Medically speaking, most people in comas from a lack of oxygen (3-4 minutes +) are often brain dead.  Without constant oxygen to your brain you become a vegetable.  At this point, whether he is dead or brain dead in a coma – today is the day the (pop) music died.

And on a side note I’d like to share my mom’s crazy (and seemingly true) theory about celebrity deaths and the rule of threes.

My mother has always sworn that when one celebrity dies, two others will follow.  Remember James Brown?  Now remember Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes.  Remember Ed McMahon (not even that long ago) now add Farrah and Michael.  It’s creepy and yet seemingly plausible.  But then again, it’s in human nature to find patterns and coincidences in everything so we can have a sense of control in knowing how to explain them.

Update:  It has been confirmed by the LA Times, CNN as well as multiple affiliates that Michael Jackson, 50, has indeed passed at at 3:15 PST June 25, 2009.  Congratulations, TMZ.com – you’re still the masters.

Gracias a nopuedocreerquelohayaninventado encuentro este simulador de partos, supongo que muy util para médicos, enfermeras y padres que quieran ir acostumbrándose a estar en el quirógrafo en el momento de la gestación del nacimiento.

Nunca me han gustado las operaciones ni la sangre ni guarradas del estilo pero ver como nace un muñeco de otro muñeco me da mucho miedo y creo que esto puede llevarnos a la destrucción por parte de los Cylons.

Os dejo el vídeo:

No se cuanto tiempo llevara esto en los hospitales pero como lo vea algun directivo de [Escribir marca de juguetes de niña] me veo que estas navidades tenemos Furby nuevo!

Ahh! El simulador de exploracion anal rectal que añaden los de nopuedocreer tambien esta muy conseguido, aunque este es más para pervertidos y para ellos siempre les quedaran las latas

Benefits Of Watching A Prostate Exam Video

If you are planning a trip to the doctor and are concerned about your upcoming prostate exam, you may want to first watch a prostate exam video.  A prostate exam video can really help to relieve any fears you might have about the upcoming male prostate exam.

The Importance Of The Male Prostate Exam

There are few that inspire more dread and fear then the mention of the male prostate exam.   Most men who are entering there thirties do not understand the importance of the male prostate exam.  It is one of the most important procedures that you can have done and every man should have at least one by the time he is fifty.

Colorectal cancer, also called colon cancer or large bowel cancer, includes cancerous growths in the colon, rectum and appendix.
Colon cancer is cancer that starts in the large intestine (colon) or the rectum (end of the colon). Such cancer is sometimes referred to as colorectal cancer (the last 6 inches of the colon).

Symptoms
The first symptoms of colon cancer are usually vague, like bleeding, weight loss, and fatigue (tiredness).

Local symptoms

• Change in bowel habits
• Feeling of incomplete defecation and reduction in diameter of stool, both characteristic of rectal cancer
• Bloody stools or rectal bleeding
• Stools with mucus

Constitutional (systemic) symptoms

• Unexplained weight loss is a worrying symptom caused by lack of appetite and systemic effects of a malignant growth. However, weight loss is not as much a feature of colorectal cancer as it is of other cancers.
• Anemia, causing dizziness, fatigue and palpitations. Clinically, there will be pallor and blood tests will confirm the low hemoglobin level.

Metastatic symptoms

• Liver metastases, causing: Jaundice, pain in the abdomen, more often the upper part of epigastrium or right side of the abdomen, liver enlargement, usually felt by a doctor.
• Blood clots in the veins and arteries, a paraneoplastic syndrome related to hypercoagulability of the blood (the blood is “thickened”).

Risk factors
Certain factors increase a person’s risk of developing the disease.

• Age. The risk of developing colorectal cancer increases with age.
• Polyps of the colon.
• History of cancer.
• Heredity: Family history of colon cancer, especially in a close relative before the age of 55 or multiple relatives, familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) carries a near 100% risk of developing colorectal cancer by the age of 40 if untreated, hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) or Lynch syndrome.
• Diet. Studies show that a diet high in red meat and low in fresh fruit, vegetables, poultry and fish increases the risk of colorectal cancer.
• Virus. Exposure to some viruses (such as particular strains of human papilloma virus) may be associated with colorectal cancer.
• Low levels of selenium.
• Inflammatory bowel disease. About one percent of colorectal cancer patients have a history of chronic ulcerative colitis. Patients with colorectal Crohn’s disease have a more than average risk of colorectal cancer, but less than that of patients with ulcerative colitis.
• Environmental factors.
• Exogenous hormones.
• Alcohol. Drinking, especially heavily, may be a risk factor.

Lifestyle and Nutrition
What you eat may play a role in your risk of colon cancer. Colon cancer may be associated with a high-fat, low-fiber diet and red meat. However, some studies found that the risk does not drop if you switch to a high-fiber diet, so the cause of the link is not yet clear.

Sedentarily, overeating (i.e., high caloric intake), and perhaps a diet high in meat (red or processed) could increase the risk of colorectal cancer.

Smoking cigarettes is another risk factor for colorectal cancer.

Accordingly, lifestyle changes could decrease the risk of colorectal cancer as much as 60-80%.
A high intake of dietary fiber (from eating fruits, vegetables, cereals, and other high fiber food products) has, until recently, been thought to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer and adenoma.

Exams and Tests
Imaging tests to diagnose colorectal cancer include:

• Colonoscopy
• Sigmoidoscopy

Treatment
Treatment depends partly on the stage of the cancer.

• Chemotherapy to kill cancer cells
• Surgery to remove cancer cells

Colon cancer is, in almost all cases, a treatable disease if caught early.
Beginning at age 50 (earlier, if you have a family history) everyone should be screened for colon cancer.

Tonight was the first night of our Child Birth class and it was everything I hoped for and more.  We found ourselves in a thrown together room on the forth floor of the local hospital with 7 other couples and the craziest lady I have seen in a while.  She was like a strange Aunt that had downed a lot of uppers and loved her access to the white board.  I should know, I have a few of these.

She walked around for a moment and screamed at the top of her lungs, “NINJAS, NINJAS!!!”

I quickly looked to the windows (the favorite entry place for ninjas).  Then I realized that she had a bit of a whistle in her voice and she had actually screamed, “Name Tags, Name Tags!!”

We all grabbed out tags and sat back down as she got into her spill.

The first thing she covered – Rectal Pressure.

Her advice – When the baby is coming, the woman will feel some pressure in the rectum.   This is normal, the baby putting pressure on the rectum, like a bowel movement, and that means you should push.

Then, she said “and they’ll clean you up and no one will be the wiser!”

After that she asked all of us why we were there and she wrote them on the white board in glorious green.  Our favorite – Piece of Mind.  She wouldn’t allow anyone to repeat, so thank goodness she started with us.  We answered, “To help my husband to understand what to do” and “To make my wife’s time in labor as enjoyable and as memorable as possible.”  If we would have went last, the only answer I could think of was, “to learn about the birth orgasm.”

Next, our host asked us to describe the animals we had seen giving birth and corrected every story that didn’t have the words, “The dog moved around and panted a lot.”  The first guy said that three of the pups he helped deliver were still-born.  Our teacher shut him down, “Whoa!  That’s unusual!  I don’t think we need to talk about that here.”

Then she said that Animals like to look at their own asses while they give birth because they don’t understand they are pregnant and really believe they are taking a huge dump.

Finally, she had the ladies do exercises while we men pinched their legs to simulate contractions.  When asked, Shannon told her that I had let up the pressure after the first pinch (which I had).  I replied, “I feel bad that I was hurting her.”  Our teacher then stood above me and rocked back and forth, sing-songing “Aw, he felt bad.”  “She’ll thank you for it.” She barked out.  ” It’s nothing compared to the pain she’ll feel during labor.”  She shoved her hand up in the air to represent a door.  “She has to learn to shut the door to her brain!  To make a barrier there through breathing, darkness, and calming music..”  She dropped down to her hands and knees and did a grinding motion. “And if he doesn’t pop out you get all doggie style and lift your pelvis to give him more room.   You all will remember that move, cause it’s called doggie style!”

This from the woman that a half hour before cupped her hands and whispered, “wear a pad.”

Then, she called the night over and we all rushed out.  Next week I will be taking a notepad, not for the class, but for the gems that fall from this woman’s lips!

I’ve now been a vegan for more than 10 years (more than 40%) of my life.  A perk that generally goes along with it is a  lowered incidence of cancer.  One of my greatest fears in life is getting cancer, and to be honest, nothing puts fear in my heart like the prospect of developing colorectal cancer.  Granted, it’s a major killer of women, but I’m more concerned about the huge loss of dignity in the detection and treatment of it.  There, I said it.  I’m vain. I never want my bum to become the centre of my medical attention.

Today I read an article in BBC Health (where else) that a cohort study has shown that while vegetarians have lower cancer incidences than the general populus, they actually have a higher risk ratio of developing colorectal cancer than their red meat eating counterparts. My attempt to find this paper on Google Scholar wasn’t fruitful, so I can’t say whether low sample numbers might have biased the study outcome or whether the ratio was statistically significant.

The same investigator, Dr Tim Key, has found a similar incidence of colorectal cancer between vegetarians and non-vegetarians before, while a different study (led by a different PI) has found a lowered incidence of this cancer in vegetarians.

I think it needs to be said that there are both healthy and unhealthy vegetarians.  If just cutting meat out of your diet makes you a vegetarian (or if chips constitute a vegetable portion), you need to re-examine your prerogatives. It’s absolutely necessary to add legumes like chickpeas, lentils, and other beans (especially if you’re not a tofu fan) to your diet.  This will increase your fibre intake, which has also been linked to lowered rectal cancer mortality.

This is a bit of a wake-up call for me to correct my poor eating habits while I’m still young. Sometimes I’m lazy and make the tradeoff of nutritious for easy meals, but really I should care more no matter how tired I may be. This is as good a reminder as any that I’m not invincible and may one day end up with a scope in the last place I ever wanted it to be.

Copyright © 2009 WrappedUpInBooksBlog. All rights reserved.

Reasons To Get A Prostate Cancer Exam

If you are a man and are coming up on the age of thirty you need to schedule a prostate cancer exam.  There are many reasons that this is important, but the bottom line is that a self prostate exam is no where need as effective as a prostate cancer exam given by a doctor and their professional medical opinion could be the thing that save your life.

Prostate Cancer: Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment:

All men should have an annual digital rectal exam beginning around age 40. Another screening technique is a ‘prostate-specific antigen’ blood test which checks for a
special chemical associated with prostate cancer. The test costs about $35 and should be done annually. The newest treatment for prostate cancer and an alternative to surgery, cryosurgery or radiation beams is the implantation of tiny radioactive seeds into the prostate.

Lycopene, a nutrient contained in tomatoes and tomato products such as tomato sauce, tomato paste and ketchup, is an effective prostate cancer deterrent. Studies show that men who eat these foods have less risk of prostate cancer.
Also, studies show that lycopene fights cancer in men who already have the disease. Prostate tumors are smaller and less aggressive in men who are given lycopene.

HIV and AIDS

Description

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is the virus that can lead to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). People who are infected with the virus are said to be HIV positive. Over time (usually many years), HIV affects a person’s immune system, which means the body is less able to protect itself from disease. When the immune system has been badly damaged by HIV infection, people can get sick from infection or cancers. At this stage of HIV infection, a person is said to have AIDS.

Transmission

HIV may be transmitted when blood, semen or vaginal fluid from an infected person enters the body of an uninfected person. This can happen through:

• unsafe sex – rectal, oral and vaginal
• sharing needles and injecting equipment contaminated with blood.

Mothers who are HIV positive can transmit the virus to their babies:

• during pregnancy
• during (a vaginal) birth
• when breast feeding.

HIV may also be transmitted through donated blood and blood products. However all blood, organs, tissues and semen donated in Australia are screened for HIV. The risk of getting HIV from these products in Australia is very low. Donating blood or body parts does not put you at risk of HIV infection.

A blood test is the only way of detecting HIV. Most people with HIV look and feel well for many years and they may not even know they are infected.

If you find out that you do have HIV, anyone you have practised unsafe behaviours with should also be offered a test. If you feel uncomfortable or embarrassed about telling your current or ex-partners, the doctor and nurse will assist by contacting them. Your name is not mentioned to ensure it is a confidential process. Remember, it is very important for your partner’s health and the health of other people they have sex with.

If you think you or your partner has been at risk of infection, you can have a blood test through your local doctor or sexual health clinic. You have the right to a confidential coded test.

Treatment

Medical research has made great progress in reducing the impact of HIV infection on the immune system and managing the illnesses associated with HIV. Currently there is no cure for HIV and AIDS. There is no vaccine to prevent infection. There are antiviral treatments which keep the virus under control for long periods of time. If you are HIV positive, the outlook is constantly improving. HIV positive people should consult an HIV specialist to ensure they have access to the latest treatment and advice.

Health Outcome

Left untreated over time, HIV destroys the body’s immune system. When the damage is severe, people can develop other life-threatening illnesses. At this stage of HIV infection, a person is said to have AIDS.

Prevention

• Practise safe sex. Always using condoms when you have vaginal or anal sex is the best way to reduce your risk of getting or transmitting HIV through sexual contact. Using water-based lubricant with condoms is recommended.
• Oral sex represents only a small risk for the transmission of HIV/AIDS but may still represent a risk for the transmission of other sexually transmissible infections (STIs). To avoid the risk of transmission of HIV or STIs, if you are giving a man oral sex (his penis in your mouth), he should wear a condom. Whether you are male or female, if you put your mouth in contact with your partner’s anus or vulva while having sex, you should use a dental dam.
• If you choose not to use a condom or dam to reduce the risk of the transmission of HIV you should avoid oral sex especially if you have bleeding gums or ulcers and immediately after cleaning your teeth. Do not allow semen, vaginal fluids and menstrual blood to enter the mouth.

It can take up to three months to detect HIV in the blood through a blood test. This is called the window period.

If you have had unsafe sex or may have been exposed to HIV through sharing needles or other injecting equipment you will need to wait three months before you can be sure of a negative test result. During this time, always practice safe sex. Do not donate blood during this time.

If you or your partner have more than one sexual partner and do not use condoms, have regular sexual health checkups.

Do not have sex if you or your sexual partner has a genital sore or ulcer or a sexually transmissible infection. Other STIs enable HIV to spread more easily from person to person.

Post-exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) is a treatment that may prevent HIV infection.  It is a combination of anti-HIV drugs that must be taken exactly as prescribed at very specific times over a four week period.  It is extremely important that a person, who may have been exposed to HIV through contact with blood or body fluids from an HIV positive person, seeks treatment as soon as possible.  PEP is most effective when taken immediately after exposure to HIV, preferably within two hours but it may still be effective if taken within 72 hours (three days) of exposure.

Help and Assistance

For more information on HIV, you can talk to:

• your local doctor
• your local sexual health clinic
• the AIDS Medical Unit (Brisbane) (07 3224 5526)
• Queensland Association for Healthy Communities Inc. (listed in the phone book)

Other Resources

Topic: HIV and AIDS

Description

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is the virus that can lead to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). People who are infected with the virus are said to be HIV positive. Over time (usually many years), HIV affects a person’s immune system, which means the body is less able to protect itself from disease. When the immune system has been badly damaged by HIV infection, people can get sick from infection or cancers. At this stage of HIV infection, a person is said to have AIDS.

Transmission

HIV may be transmitted when blood, semen or vaginal fluid from an infected person enters the body of an uninfected person. This can happen through:

• unsafe sex – rectal, oral and vaginal
• sharing needles and injecting equipment contaminated with blood.

Mothers who are HIV positive can transmit the virus to their babies:

• during pregnancy
• during (a vaginal) birth
• when breast feeding.

HIV may also be transmitted through donated blood and blood products. However all blood, organs, tissues and semen donated in Australia are screened for HIV. The risk of getting HIV from these products in Australia is very low. Donating blood or body parts does not put you at risk of HIV infection.

A blood test is the only way of detecting HIV. Most people with HIV look and feel well for many years and they may not even know they are infected.

If you find out that you do have HIV, anyone you have practised unsafe behaviors with should also be offered a test. If you feel uncomfortable or embarrassed about telling your current or ex-partners, the doctor and nurse will assist by contacting them. Your name is not mentioned to ensure it is a confidential process. Remember, it is very important for your partner’s health and the health of other people they have sex with.

If you think you or your partner has been at risk of infection, you can have a blood test through your local doctor or sexual health clinic. You have the right to a confidential coded test.

Treatment

Medical research has made great progress in reducing the impact of HIV infection on the immune system and managing the illnesses associated with HIV. Currently there is no cure for HIV and AIDS. There is no vaccine to prevent infection. There are antiviral treatments which keep the virus under control for long periods of time. If you are HIV positive, the outlook is constantly improving. HIV positive people should consult an HIV specialist to ensure they have access to the latest treatment and advice.

Health Outcome

Left untreated over time, HIV destroys the body’s immune system. When the damage is severe, people can develop other life-threatening illnesses. At this stage of HIV infection, a person is said to have AIDS.

Prevention

• Practice safe sex. Always using condoms when you have vaginal or anal sex is the best way to reduce your risk of getting or transmitting HIV through sexual contact. Using water-based lubricant with condoms is recommended.
• Oral sex represents only a small risk for the transmission of HIV/AIDS but may still represent a risk for the transmission of other sexually transmissible infections (STIs). To avoid the risk of transmission of HIV or STIs, if you are giving a man oral sex (his penis in your mouth), he should wear a condom. Whether you are male or female, if you put your mouth in contact with your partner’s anus or vulva while having sex, you should use a dental dam.
• If you choose not to use a condom or dam to reduce the risk of the transmission of HIV you should avoid oral sex especially if you have bleeding gums or ulcers and immediately after cleaning your teeth. Do not allow semen, vaginal fluids and menstrual blood to enter the mouth.

It can take up to three months to detect HIV in the blood through a blood test. This is called the window period.

If you have had unsafe sex or may have been exposed to HIV through sharing needles or other injecting equipment you will need to wait three months before you can be sure of a negative test result. During this time, always practice safe sex. Do not donate blood during this time.

If you or your partner have more than one sexual partner and do not use condoms, have regular sexual health checkups.

Do not have sex if you or your sexual partner has a genital sore or ulcer or a sexually transmissible infection. Other STIs enable HIV to spread more easily from person to person.

Post-exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) is a treatment that may prevent HIV infection.  It is a combination of anti-HIV drugs that must be taken exactly as prescribed at very specific times over a four week period.  It is extremely important that a person, who may have been exposed to HIV through contact with blood or body fluids from an HIV positive person, seeks treatment as soon as possible.  PEP is most effective when taken immediately after exposure to HIV, preferably within two hours but it may still be effective if taken within 72 hours (three days) of exposure.