AIDS AWARENESS PROGRAM

Reasearch Shows Ignorance About Safe Sex

India's 300 million young people ages 10 to 24, recent studies show that premarital sex is increasingly common. A 2001 study conducted in Delhi and the Lucknow by the National Institute of Health and Family Welfare shows that some 15 percent of young people engage in premarital sex, even though Indian society consider sex before marriage as unusual behavior. The study included school and college students, also revealed that despite a growing HIV/AIDS epidemic, many young people have unprotected sex. Common reasons given by youth for not using condoms are that they are hesitant to obtain them (39.3 percent) and fear side effects (34.3 percent), according to the study "Premarital Sexuality and Unmet Need of Contraception."

A preliminary analysis of the data collected by the college's counseling center revealed that students were well aware of the basics of HIV transmission through unprotected, penetrative sexual contact.

How is HIV Transmitted?

HIV can be transmitted from an infected person to another through:

Blood (including menstrual blood)
Semen
Vaginal secretions
Breast milk
Blood contains the highest concentration of the virus, followed by semen, followed by vaginal fluids, followed by breast milk.

* Activities That Allow HIV Transmission

Unprotected sexual contact
Direct blood contact, including injection drug needles, blood transfusions, accidents in health care settings or certain blood products
Mother to baby (before or during birth, or through breast milk)

Sexual intercourse (vaginal and anal): In the genitals and the rectum, HIV may infect the mucous membranes directly or enter through cuts and sores caused during intercourse (many of which would be unnoticed). Vaginal and anal intercourse is a high-risk practice.