Living or contracting HIV doesn’t have to stop you from living a healthy life in the best way that you choose to do. With the right treatment and care, you can definitely live as long as someone who doesn’t have the virus. The first step is taking care of yourself after being diagnosed with HIV as soon as possible and keeping your immune system strong. And just because antiretroviral treatment is not a cure for HIV, it does keep the virus under control so maybe you should take it?

Thanks to effective HIV treatment, the number of cases of Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS) has fallen dramatically. Nonetheless, Kaposi’s sarcoma remains one of the most common cancers in people living with HIV. It occasionally occurs in people who are taking HIV treatment and have a good CD4 count…

Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS) is a form of cancer in which tumours with tiny blood vessels grow below the surface of your skin and in your mouth, nose, eyes, and anus. It can spread to your lungs, liver, stomach, intestines, and lymph nodes, the glands that help your body fight infection.

Avoiding seeing the doctor?

• HIV will, unfortunately, continue to harm your immune system.
• This will put you at higher risk for developing AIDS and other opportunistic infections.
• This will put you at higher risk for transmitting HIV to your sexual and injection partner(s).

How do I avoid getting HIV?

• Use condoms. Male and female latex condoms are the most effective way to prevent HIV and other STIs when you have sex.
• Get tested. Be sure you and your partner are tested for HIV and other STIs before having unprotected sex. Talk to each other about the test results. If your partner has an STI in addition to HIV, that also increases your risk of HIV infection.
• Be monogamous. Being faithful to each other, having sex with only one partner drastically reduces contracting any STIs. That means that you have sex only with each other and no one else.
• Limit your number of sexual partners. Your risk of getting HIV and other STIs goes up with the number of partners you have.
• Get vaccinated. You can get vaccinated to protect against HPV and hepatitis B, which are STIs. PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) is for people at risk for HIV to prevent getting HIV from sex or injection drug use. When taken as prescribed, PrEP is highly effective for preventing HIV.
• Don’t douche. Douching removes the normal bacteria in the vagina that protects you from infection and it may increase your risk of getting HIV and other STIs.
• Do not abuse alcohol or drugs. Alcohol or drug abuse is the leading cause of blackouts and the loss of inhibitions and you may find yourself sharing needles or having unprotected sex.

Many people have HIV — you’re absolutely not alone. Most people get at least one STI in their lifetime and it is nothing to feel ashamed of or embarrassed about. Make sure to disclose your status to your sexual partner(s). Even if you’re feeling totally fine right now, see a doctor so you can talk about the best ways to stay healthy. Taking care of your emotional health is important too so seek out counselling or a support group.