RISK FACTORS OF AIDS For people involved in day to day
activities that make them come into close contact with the HIV
virus run the greatest risk of infection. The proximity to the
virus may be due to professional requirements like people in the
medical profession or due to choice of lifestyle. Use of
infected needles during injection of drugs, blood transfusions
with unclean needles and unprotected sexual intercourse all
result in increasing the risk of infection with the HIV virus.
Being infected with HIV does not mean that the person has
contracted Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome. Only when the
HIV infection causes extensive damage to the immune system and
the condition worsens does the onset of AIDS is diagnosed. If
the person is left untreated then a HIV positive person can
develop the AIDS condition within 10 years.