Why do I need to know about AIDS?
As of today, millions of Indians have been diagnosed with AIDS; millions have died. In less than 15 years, AIDS has become the principal killer of all Indians between the ages of 15 and 49. Since the epidemic began, an estimated 20 million people worldwide have been infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

How does someone get infected with HIV?
For someone to get infected with HIV, the virus must get past the skin into the body. A person can let that happen in one of four ways: 

• by having sex without a condom with someone who is infected;
• by injecting drugs with needles you are sharing with someone who is infected;
• by having a blood transfusion with blood from an infected donor. However, blood donated for trans-fusions in is now tested for HIV, so people are almost never infected through blood transfusions. 
• from an infected woman to her baby in the womb, during birth, or during breast feeding. 

How do you prevent infection with HIV?
HIV in sufficient amounts to cause infection exists in blood, semen, vaginal fluid, and breast milk. You can prevent infection with HIV by making sure that these fluids from an HIV-infected man or woman don't have a chance to enter your body. The best ways to be sure are to practice safer sex by using condoms and to refuse to share drug-injection equipment with anyone. 

Use a latex condom every time you have sex. 

If you have vaginal or anal sex, use a latex condom. Use a condom or a dental dam (a square of latex) if you have oral sex. A condom will keep the virus, which can be found in semen or vaginal fluids, from getting into your body. Always use a latex condom.

Clean your injection equipment and never share it.

If you use a needle to inject anything: drugs, or insulin; don't share it with anyone. To kill the HIV in your syringe and needle, you must clean them with undiluted (that is, full strength) household bleach. Pull the bleach up into the needle and syringe; soak the filled equipment in the bleach for 30 seconds; then squirt the bleach into a sink. Do this twice.

Then pull clean water into the needle and syringe, and squirt the water into the sink. Do this at least twice.

Keeping these factors in mind an AIDS Awareness Talk was organized at Diya Vidya Mandir, Nihal Vihar, New Delhi on 7th December 2008 to make people aware about the causes, symptoms and repercussions; an initiative of DIYA Foundation which was highly appreciated by the local community.