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Section 12-3 Health Risks 311
from pregnant women to their infants. They are not spread through
casual contact, such as hugging or shaking hands.
The main STIs that are of concern are AIDS, gonorrhea, syphilis, chla-
mydia, human papillomavirus, and herpes. The symptoms and side effects
of these diseases range from an outbreak of blisters to blindness to death.
You have a responsibility to prevent the spread of STIs. You can do
this by becoming educated about STIs. If you know of someone who has
an STI, encourage him or her to get prompt, effective treatment. Also
encourage this person to behave responsibly and avoid spreading the STI
to others. The only sure way to prevent STIs is to abstain from sex. The
risk of contracting STIs becomes higher as a person has more sexual partners.
You owe it to yourself to stay healthy and avoid contracting STIs.
AIDS
The most deadly STI is acquired immune defi ciency syndrome (AIDS).
This disease is caused by the human immunodefi ciency virus (HIV),
which breaks down the body’s immune system. This leaves the body
vulnerable to diseases a healthy body could resist. Most people with AIDS
eventually die from one or more of these diseases.
HIV is transmitted through such body fl uids as blood and semen. HIV
can be contracted through sharing contaminated intravenous needles as
well as through sexual contact. Infants can contract HIV during the birth
process or through breast-feeding.
In the past, some people contracted HIV from blood transfusions.
However, this risk is now very small since all blood is screened for HIV.
There is no risk of contracting HIV from donating blood because fresh
needles are used for each donation.
Decisions Th at Aff ect Your Health
You make many routine decisions every day. You decide what to
eat, where to go, and what to wear. Take a minute when making these
decisions to think about how they might affect your health. For instance,
keep in mind that limiting high-fat foods can reduce your risk of heart
disease. Wearing your seat belt will help protect you in the event of a car
accident. Keeping your health in mind will help you make decisions that
will promote wellness.
Not all health-related decisions are routine. You might decide you want
to go skydiving or bungee jumping. If you are intrigued by a certain degree
of risk, take precautions. You do not have to avoid all potentially dangerous
activities to protect your health. However, you have a responsibility to
be fully aware of the risks you are taking. Then you need to do whatever
is necessary to make the activity as safe as possible. Take lessons from
trained professionals to learn how to do activities properly. Wear
protective clothing. Plan what you will do if problems arise.