Yangju City Public Health Center Launches Prevention Campaign for World AIDS Day

On the 1st, Yangju City Public Health Center in Gyeonggi announced on the 4th that it launched an AIDS awareness and prevention campaign targeting citizens in observance of World AIDS Day 2024.

'AIDS Awareness and Prevention' Poster. Provided by Yangju City

AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is an immune deficiency syndrome that occurs as the disease progresses after HIV infection. HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) invades the body, weakening the immune system and causing complications such as various infectious diseases and malignant tumors.

The transmission routes of AIDS do not include casual contact. The main transmission route is sexual contact with an infected person, accounting for over 99% in South Korea. Other routes include receiving blood transfusions from infected blood, using needles previously used by an infected person, and pregnancy or childbirth from an infected woman.

During the acute symptom phase before the onset of AIDS after HIV infection (3 to 4 weeks post-infection), flu-like symptoms such as chills and sore throat appear. During the latency period (from infection until AIDS onset), there are no symptoms, but immune function decreases and there is infectivity to others.

In the symptomatic phase of AIDS (within about 10 years after infection), symptoms such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, and malignant tumors appear due to decreased immunity.

The public health center advises that to prevent AIDS, risky sexual contact should be avoided, and if suspected, visiting a public health center or medical institution immediately for prompt testing and treatment is best. Also, correct condom use is necessary for safe sexual relations.

Anonymous AIDS testing is available free of charge at public health centers nationwide, and it is recommended to get tested 4 to 12 weeks after the suspected exposure. Additionally, consistent medication treatment suppresses the virus to undetectable levels, preventing transmission to others, so testing and continuous treatment are encouraged.

A public health center official stated, “We will actively promote AIDS awareness guidelines to ensure that Yangju citizens recognize the importance of AIDS prevention and protect their health from the risk of AIDS infection.”