#WorldAidsDay - Prevention is your responsibility

This year's World Aids Day theme is "The right to know. Prevention is my responsibility".

The good news is that more people living with HIV in South Africa are on treatment. The bad news is the country's new infection rate is still high. 

East and Southern Africa are the hardest hit by new infection rates, with South Africa recording 270,000 new cases in 2016. 

According to UNAIDS, more than seven-million South Africans are living with HIV/AIDS. 

"We need a prevention revolution to urgently reduce new HIV infections. We will prevent new infections using the best methods and focusing strongly on those in greatest need. We will ensure that nobody is left behind #WAD2017," @GovernmentZA tweeted on Friday. 

There are still many stigmas about HIV, and one of them is the belief that "it will never happen to me".

HIV/AIDS does not discriminate, and both rich and poor, young and old, have been infected. 

Despite SA's high HIV/Aids rates, many people still do not know their status.

Knowing your status is the first step to protecting yourself and those around you.

How often should I get tested?

It doesn't matter whether you have been married for a decade, or involved in a casual sex relationship - if you are sexually active, then an HIV test needs to be part of your regular health check-up. Health experts suggest you get tested once a year. Once you know your status, it's important to encourage your partner to know theirs as well. While nobody is obligated to reveal their status, it is important for both parties in a relationship to know their status. HIV is commonly transmitted by people having unprotected  sex. 

According to HIV.org, "people get or transmit HIV through sexual behaviors and needle or syringe use. Only certain body fluids—blood, semen, pre-seminal fluid, rectal fluids, vaginal fluids, and breast milk—from a person who has HIV can transmit HIV. These fluids must come in contact with a mucous membrane or damaged tissue or be directly injected into the bloodstream (from a needle or syringe) for transmission to occur. Mucous membranes are found inside the rectum, vagina, penis, and mouth."

HIV can be transmitted through contact with infected blood, semen or vaginal fluids.

Both men and women should carry condoms

Don't rely on your partner to always having a condom. Many people think it's the man's job to carry condoms, but if women want to avoid making risky decisions in the heat of passion, then they need to carry them as well. Don't let anyone pressure you into having unprotected sex. 

It's not just HIV you need to worry about

You shouldn't only test for HIV, but a comprehensive sexual health screening is also important. Some sexually transmitted infections, like herpes, are a long-term condition. Some STIs have no noticeable symptoms, and can be transmitted by using fingers, infected sex toys, and coming in contact with body fluids during oral sex. Gonorrhoea is one of the most common STIs in SA. Chlamydia, Human Papillomavirus, Herpes, Hepatitis B, Trichomonas/Trich, and Syphilis are also common infections. STIs can lead to infertility, liver problems, problems during pregnancy, and cause unsightly blisters, and warts. 

HIV is no longer considered a death sentence, and with antiretroviral therapy many life expectancies in SA are sitting at 64.8 years. But there is no known cure for HIV/AIDS,  and "prevention is better than cure" at this stage.

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