All of us have heard and used this saying thousands of times- Prevention is better than cure. The best possible method for prevention is knowledge.

Still, many people among us do not have the required knowledge against many fatal diseases which cannot be cured but can be avoided through awareness. AIDS, an acronym to Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome, is one among them. It is caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Syndrome or HIV virus. The number of people infected with AIDS is increasing day by day. This disease is till date incurable but if little care is taken, it can be prevented.

How the disease is acquired?

The best way to escape this disease is to prevent the HIV virus from infecting your body. A person can be infected by HIV in three ways:

1. Sexual contact with a person who is HIV positive. It can infect by unprotected sex and having multiple sex partners. If a person is sexually involved with an infected person, chances of virus transmission are high. To avoid this, it is strongly advised to use condoms during sexual intercourse and prevent unwanted transfer of body fluids.
2. Transfer of blood or blood products contaminated with HIV. Blood transfusion during injury or accident can be fatal if infected blood is used. Optimum care should be taken. Disposable syringes and needles should be used. Druggists, who take drug injections, very often use same needle. They are at a greater risk of AIDS infection.
3. Through heredity. If parents had AIDS in their heredity line, then chances of infection to children are high. The virus is also transferred from mother to the baby during conception. When a mother is tested for pregnancy, she must go for an AIDS test. If tested positive, she should take full medical advice to save her baby from infection by her.

These things if given proper attention can prevent the spread of AIDS. A person suffering from AIDS, should be handled very carefully as he needs psychological help and support more than medical help. He should not be dejected from the society. Rather, we should take every possible step to make his life better and happy.