AIDS: your choice for life (1987)

Only your knowledge of the facts can protect you and those around you. [Music] The human body contains a number of different working systems. For example, your digestive system breaks down the food you eat so that it can be turned into energy. Your blood carries various important substances like oxygen around to every part of your body which needs them. Now if any of these systems stop working completely, you would die. Another very important system, your immune system, helps to protect you against infection from the tiny organisms which cause disease. Bacteria and viruses are everywhere. They surround you all the time. They're in the air you breathe, the food you eat, and even the liquids you drink. If it weren't for your body's immune system, which continually fights off bacteria and viruses, you would always be ill, and it wouldn't be too long before you caught a fatal disease. Today, there's a threat from a completely new virus. This one's different from all the others because it attacks and destroys the body's immune system, the very system which protects us against disease. Once the immune system is damaged, the body is defenseless against a whole range of deadly infections. This new virus is called human immuno deficiency virus HIV and it causes AIDS acquired immune deficiency syndrome. The most important words to remember are immune deficiency because AIDS causes damage to or deficiency in the body's immune system its system of defense. So far about onethird of those people with the virus in their blood who are known as HIV antibbody positive have gone on to develop AIDS. But because the time between infection with the virus and the appearance of symptoms can be several years, it is possible that in time we shall find more of these people antibbody positive developing AIDS. Once full-blown AIDS does develop, it always kills within two or 3 years. Dr. Susie Foster is a leading researcher into AIDS. We estimate that about 50,000 people are carrying the virus in this country, but we really have no accurate idea. Part of the problem being that most of these patients are completely well and evidence is accumulating that suggests that the patients who are actually developing AIDS at this present time probably were infected with the virus six, seven or more years ago and there is this very long latent period while the virus is incubating. So in fact the number of patients with AIDS at the moment reflects what was happening in this country perhaps five or more years ago. And of course, a lot of people think that so long as they're not having sexual contacts with someone who looks ill or seems unwell in any way, they're okay. And that's not the case, unfortunately. That people may be infectious, but appear in every other way to be completely well. The disease um itself in me is not it's not coming out properly. I'm I'm just carrying the virus. Yeah. Um but it's not actually come out to full-blown or anything like that. I was told 5 years ago that I was body positive and in fact I was told that I had AIDS 5 years ago. I wasn't told I was body positive. That was in Glasgow. They didn't really know a lot about it at the time. It was after a repeat test that I was told that in fact that I was just body positive. I just had the virus and not fullon. Usually there is no doubt uh that the patients are quite unwell in some way. They present with either very severe pneumonia with a cough, breathing problems, pain in the chest. They perhaps have very severe and continuous diarrhea lasting more than three or four weeks, severe pain in the stomach and occasionally bad headaches and problems with their nervous system, weakness in the arms and legs, epileptic fits. Also occasionally patients develop a very characteristic uh skin problem called capuchy saroma where very hard blue nodules develop on the skin and this may be the first sign that someone is developing AIDS. I've been suffering from kyposis saroma which is skin cancer and also uh cryptosperidiosis which is chronic diarrhea of the bowel very difficult to get rid of and uh in the past few weeks I've been able to keep nothing down at all. So, I've been every time I've drunk or eaten food, uh, I've been sick. Just brought it straight back up 10 minutes after. town. [Music] So there is a difference between someone getting infected with the virus and the same person developing AIDS which leads to death. Most people infected with the virus remain fit although some may have minor symptoms. They may be unaware that anything is wrong. They may look well and feel well, but they can still infect other people with the virus through sexual or blood contact. And as far as we know, they will remain infected and infectious for the rest of their lives. Let's look at how the virus does its deadly work inside the body. We'll begin by looking at the way our bodies defend themselves against disease germs. The bacteria and virus which surround us all the time and everywhere we go. Our skin is the first line of defense, an effective and efficient barrier against germs. But sometimes germs can get through your skin, for example, through a cut or a graze. There are other ways, too, that bacteria or viruses can enter the body, through its openings. Cold germs floating in the air can be breathed in through the nostrils, for instance, and germs in food can enter through the mouth. And it's when unwanted germs have got inside your body that a second line of defense comes into operation. That's the body's immune system. In your blood, there are special cells whose job it is to recognize bacteria or viruses which might threaten the body's health. Once they've identified a dangerous germ, they trigger other cells to produce what are called antibodies, substances which destroy harmful invaders. This protective process is the body's immune or defense system. Now see what happens when the AIDS virus gets inside the body. Antibodies are produced after several weeks but do not destroy the virus. At first the effect of the virus may be so slight that the immune system can continue to work much in the normal way. But as AIDS develops, the virus slowly begins to destroy the special cells in the immune system. In time, the body's ability to recognize dangerous invaders becomes weaker, and it loses its ability to trigger the production of protective antibodies. The body of a person with AIDS is open to infection from the first disease germ that comes along. That person will be ill from some disease or another most of the time. Some of these illnesses can be treated, but before long, as their immune system breaks down, some fatal illness will take hold. Their weakened body can't fight it off, even with medical help. That disease will lead to death. In this country, people who have developed AIDS die most often from illnesses such as lung infection, diseases of the intestine, and cancer. Brain damage with loss of memory and difficulties in thinking may occur. You may be thinking, "What's all the fuss about? If I get AIDS, I'll go to the doctor or the hospital and get cured." But make no mistake, Dr. Susie Foster. Again, unfortunately, if you're talking in terms of a drug that we can give these patients to completely eradicate the virus from their body in the same way that we can treat a bacterial infection with antibiotics, I think we're a very, very long way away from having any sort of drug like that. [Music] But what sort of things can you do with no risk of infection? [Music] [Music] Hey, [Music] [Music] Well, how can you catch AIDS? The AIDS virus is fairly weak. In fact, it can't live very long outside the human body. So there's hardly any risk of anyone catching it except from a very particular type of contact with an infected person. It isn't easy to catch AIDS because the virus is only present in dangerous quantities in two types of body fluid. In the blood of infected people and in the fluids they produce during sex. There's no evidence that the virus has ever been transmitted through urine, sweat, or saliva. So the carriers of the AIDS virus are blood, semen, the male sexual fluid, and the fluid produced in a woman's sexual passage or vagina. It's easy therefore to understand why the AIDS virus can only be transmitted in three main specific ways. through sexual intercourse with an infected person, by sharing needles or syringes which may be contaminated with blood from an infected person, and from an infected mother to her baby before or during birth. Blood transfusions no longer present a real risk of infection in this country because all blood donations are carefully screened and people at high risk of being infected are asked not to give blood. The blood products used for the treatment of people with hemophilia, an inherited condition in which the blood doesn't clot normally, are heat treated to kill the virus. Now, in some countries, blood is not yet screened. But in Britain today, the chance of catching AIDS through a blood transfusion is less than one in a million. However, some people in Britain were infected in this way before we knew how to screen and treat blood and blood products. A small number of babies have been born infected with the AIDS virus to mothers who are already infected. But the main ways of getting infected with the AIDS virus are from sharing injection equipment and from sexual intercourse. Because the AIDS virus is carried in the blood, anyone injecting themselves with a hypodermic needle, which someone else has used, runs a very high risk. Some blood may remain in or on the needle or syringe from a previous user. And if that person was infected, the virus can be injected straight into the bloodstream of the next user. It's not surprising that many injecting drug addicts have caught AIDS by sharing equipment with infected people. Those who inject now face a greater risk of catching AIDS. Now, drug abuse of any sort is risky, but injecting drugs, even once, with someone else's equipment, could be fatal. It's not just injecting drugs that's dangerous. Anything which breaks through the skin to the blood can cause infection if it's been used by somebody else. For example, the needles used in ear piercing and tattooing can be risky unless they've been properly sterilized. Finally, we come to the greatest danger of all, the spreading of the AIDS virus through sexual intercourse. Remember that the virus is carried not only in blood but also in semen and vaginal fluid. During intercourse, these fluids can transfer the virus from an infected person to a sexual partner. When a man's sexual organ or penis enters a woman's vagina during sexual intercourse, he comes into contact with her vaginal fluid and maybe with menstrual blood from her last period. Similarly, when the man's semen comes into contact with a woman's vagina during intercourse, if he's infected with AIDS, the virus can pass from his semen into the woman's bloodstream. Anal intercourse, when the penis enters not the vagina but the back passage or anus, is even more risky if one partner is infected. Therefore, male homosexuals who practice anal intercourse are particularly vulnerable to infection. [Music] An obvious way to avoid infection through sexual intercourse is not to have it. In fact, a few people do choose to live entirely without sex. But most adults are sexually active. Now, because of AIDS, we all need to think much more carefully and responsibly about our sexual behavior and the possible consequences of our actions. Be prepared for the time when you find someone you want to make love with. Remember, just one casual sexual encounter with an infected partner could prove fatal. By far the safest lifestyle is to remain faithful to a single sexual partner who's also faithful. You may think that you won't need to worry, that you'll be able to tell who's safe and who to trust, but will you? Remember that people who are infected with the AIDS virus may appear quite healthy and may not even know themselves that they're infected. Steve is 19. Sue is 16. They've been going out together for six months. Neither of them has ever made love. When Steve was 16, he became involved with heroin. He shared needles on one or two occasions and became infected with the AIDS virus. He still doesn't know this. He wants to forget about his past addiction and has never mentioned it to Sue. They're thinking about making love. If they do, Steve may be passing on the virus to Sue. What questions should they be asking themselves? [Music] So are there any precautions which can be taken to reduce the risk of possible infection? Yes, the risk of infection through sexual intercourse can be considerably reduced by using a condom. And this is a condom. It is a thin rubber sheath. You get them in foil packets like these. Undo the foil packet, pull it out, and that's what it looks like. It is rolled over the man's hard penis before sexual intercourse begins. Now, although the condom may not cut the risk of infection completely, it'll certainly make sexual intercourse safer for both partners. For the man, it acts as a barrier between his penis and vaginal fluid, which may contain the AIDS virus. It protects the woman by capturing the man's semen, which may contain the virus, in this small teat at the end of the condom. The semen remains inside the condom, which prevents it coming into contact with the vagina. If condoms aren't used properly, they can't stop the AIDS virus being passed on. People using them have to be particularly careful to do several things. The penis must be hard. The condom will only unroll in one direction, so obviously it must be put on the right way round. When the condoms put on before intercourse, the air must be squeezed out of the teeth so there's room for the semen. If this isn't done, it increases the risk of the condom breaking. After intercourse, when the penis may lose some of its stiffness, every care must be taken to keep the condom in place as the penis is withdrawn. If the condom slips off, both partners will again be at risk of infection. When intercourse is over, the condom must be removed carefully and safely disposed of so that the semen doesn't escape. If the AIDS virus is present, it will be alive and dangerous for a while. All this is only about the protection which the condom can offer against the transmission of the AIDS virus. The condom is of course used by some people for contraceptive purposes, but no other contraceptive device can be relied upon to offer any protection in relation to AIDS. And above all, the pill does not protect women from infection. What about sexual practices other than intercourse? From what you already know about how the infection is transmitted, you should be able to see the kinds of activities which are risky and those which aren't. You won't catch AIDS by stroking, cuddling, or kissing someone on the mouth. And there's no evidence that anyone has ever caught the AIDS virus from deep or French kissing. You won't catch AIDS by doing anything unless it causes blood to come into contact with blood or blood to come into contact with sexual fluids. Touching your own sexual parts carries no risk. Touching a partner's penis or vagina carries no risk unless there are cuts or sores on your hands. But oral sex where there is contact between the mouth and the penis or vagina may be risky, especially if there are cuts or sores in the mouth. Finally, let's hear some more from people who learned about AIDS. Too late. Um, I don't really go much by sex anymore for my own sake and also for anybody else's sake. Um, and if we do anything, it's just just mutual caressing and things like that. I was a drug addict. I was using heroin and Scotland was a bad place at that time to get your own needles and syringes, so everybody was sharing. So, that's how I contracted it. Obviously, I've had to make some changes. I practice safe sex now. Um, I can't have any more children. AIDS hasn't just threatened me with a life disease. I can't have any more children. It's not fair to the baby. It probably kill me. I can't lead a promiscuous life because I can't afford to pick up VD because of the virus. That would kill me. And I've got to think about other people. Just think before you have sex about AIDS and what it does to you because skin cancer does hurt. Don't experiment with drugs. It's silly. Anyway, if you're experimenting with sex, if you're a woman, don't just think about the pill. Don't just worry about getting pregnant. You got something else to worry about. If you're a boy, you've also got something to worry about because you don't know what your girlfriend's been doing. So, just be careful. Make sure you use condoms. Just play safe. Think about what you're doing. Find out about AIDS, etc., etc. Get to know um what it's all about and just just follow it through what the doctors tell you, you know, or even what the teachers tell you, even what this video is telling you. Just look at it and think about it. Just be very careful. I mean, it's your future, not mine anymore.