STD-Sexually Transmitted Disease – are transmitted through sexual contact. STD -are generally divided into two categories, bacterial and viral. Bacterial infections are relatively easy to cure if detected early. Viral infections are technically incurable but the symptoms are controllable if detected early. Having a sexually transmitted disease (STD) can increase a person's risk of becoming infected with HIV. STD treatment reduces a person to get HIV infection.

The human immunodeficiency virus HIV, Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome AIDS and sexually transmitted disease STD are one of the main concern today. The patients affected by them are quite in number and alarming as it is infectious. From one person to the other, from a mother to a baby anybody anywhere can get the virus.

It is estimated by the Joint United Nations Program that there are over 34 million people worldwide affected with HIV/AIDS. Out of them only few are aware of their being infected and spreading the virus.

To begin with HIV - the human immunodeficiency virus - is a virus that kills your body slowly and slowly. HIV attacks human cells and uses nutrients and energy provided by those cells to grow and reproduce. HIV can be passed from person to the other. If someone with HIV infection has sex with or shares drug injection needles with another person then he or she is likely to be HIV positive. It also can be passed from a mother to her baby when she is pregnant, when she delivers the baby, or if she breast-feeds her baby.

It is very important to keep yourself away from the virus getting into your body and equally important not to let others infected by it. There are different ways of getting infected by HIV as

• If you have unprotected Sex with someone who has HIV. The virus can be in an infected person's blood, semen, or vaginal secretions. It can also enter your body through tiny cuts or sores in your skin, or in the lining of your vagina, penis, rectum, or mouth.

• If you share a needle and syringe to inject drugs or share drug equipment used to prepare drugs for injection with someone who has HIV.

• If you had a blood transfusion or blood clotting factor that you got before 1985. As today all blood in the United States has been tested for HIV since 1985.

How can you protect yourself from HIV?

• Make a mature move, both the partners should not hesitate to go for HIV test

• If you are pregnant then have an HIV test

• Make sure to use condoms.

AIDS - the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome - is a disease you get when HIV destroys your body's immune system. Normally, your immune system helps you fight off illness. When your immune system fails you can become very sick and can die.

An HIV-infected person receives a diagnosis of AIDS after developing one of the CDC-defined AIDS indicator illnesses, (opportunistic infection). A positive HIV test result does not mean that a person has AIDS. A diagnosis of AIDS is made by a physician using certain clinical criteria. There is no cure for AIDS. There are anti-retroviral drugs now available that can slow down the virus, and slow down the damage to your immune system. These drugs have also helped reduce the overall rates of opportunistic infections in people with AIDS.