Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. 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 Affect 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.