The two groups at greatest risk for AIDS are homosexual or bisexual men and
people who shoot drugs. People who use needles to inject drugs (including mainliners
and skin poppers) get the virus by sharing their works with other users who already
have the AIDS virus in their blood.

You can’t always tell who is infected with the AIDS virus. Most people
actually carrying the virus don’t look any different than anybody else, they look and
feel well, but they can still spread the disease. Symptoms of AIDS may not show up
for many years and some remain without symptoms even then. Thousands of IV drug
abusers already have AIDS, and many thousands more are carriers of the virus.

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a serious condition that
affects the body’s ability to fight off infection. A diagnosis of AIDS is made when a
person develops some form of life-threatening illness not usually found in a person
with a normal ability to fight infection. To date more that fifty percent of all the
persons with AIDS have died.

Shooting drugs has now been determined to be one of the biggest problems
facing America today. While the homosexual community has put on a media
campaign alerting and educating the public about the dangers of AIDS, nothing is
being done to stop the widespread sharing of needles among drug users.

Remember, if you shoot drugs, you are in danger of catching AIDS. The best
advice for protecting yourself and people you love is to stop shooting drugs. It is also
important to note that women who shoot drugs or who live with men who shoot drugs
sometimes gives AIDS to their babies, either before or shortly after birth. Babies born
with AIDS become ill very quickly.

Most individuals infected with the AIDS virus have no symptoms and feel
well for a long time before eventually developing such symptoms as fever and night
sweats, weight loss, swollen lymph glands in the neck, the underarms and groin area,
sever fatigue or tiredness, diarrhea, white spots or unusual blemishes in the mouth.
These symptoms are also symptoms of a number of other illnesses and that should be
taken into consideration. Anyone with any of these symptoms for more than two
weeks should not panic buy should consult their doctor.

The AIDS virus is not spread through normal daily contact at work, school or
home. There have been no cases found where the virus has been transmitted by casual
contact with AIDS patients in the home, workplace, or health care setting.

There is an antibody test that detects antibodies to the AIDS virus that causes
the disease. The body produces antibodies that try to get rid of bacteria, viruses, or
anything else that is not supposed to be in the bloodstream. The test may show if
someone has been infected with the AIDS virus. While the testing procedure is
considered accurate, it does not tell who will develop full-blown AIDS.