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HIV isn't the taboo subject it once was. However, many gay men still don't fully understand the mechanics of HIV and AIDS. Few of us are interested in the daily life of someone who has HIV, for instance, until we or someone we know acquires the virus. In fact, understanding the virus can help prevent you from getting it and can also help you be a bigger support system for friends or family that may have HIV. So let's take a tour of HIV & AIDS.

The basics

There are two types of HIV, HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-2 (or Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 2) is a second type of HIV discovered in 1986, but is believed to have been present in Africa much earlier. HIV-2 is primarily found in West Africa.

According to the Center for Disease Control - HIV-2 is transmitted in the same ways as HIV-1, through exposure to bodily fluids such as blood, semen, tears and vaginal fluids. Both HIV-1 and HIV-2 can develop into AIDS or what the Center for Disease Control calls "opportunistic infections" (otherwise milder infections that can become serious or deadly against a weakened immune system).

Immunodeficiency (or a weakened immune system) develops more slowly and is milder in persons with HIV-2. People infected with HIV-2 are less infectious in the early stages of the virus than those with HIV-1. Most reported cases of HIV-2 are found in West Africa. There are few reported cases of HIV-2 in the United States.

Some of the drugs used to treat HIV-1 are not effective against HIV-2. Studies are still unclear as to the best treatment for HIV-2. HIV-2 is also more difficult to monitor than HIV-1 in the U.S., since there is no FDA-licensed viral load assay available. Remember, there is no cure for HIV-1, HIV-2 or AIDS. Though there are slight differences in the two strands of HIV, both HIV-1 and HIV-2 lead to the same life-threatening result.

Getting tested

The only way to know if you have HIV is to get a simple blood test. How often should you get an HIV test? The recommendation is every three to six months, but there are reasons to get a test more often. Most HIV tests conducted today are rapid tests, which means you get the results in around an hour or less. If you aren't comfortable visiting an HIV testing clinic or if there isn't a testing center in your location, try testing yourself at home.

The CDC recommends that everyone get tested at least once, but the accepted standard is that gay men test for HIV every three months. Still, the biggest step is actually getting tested. The only thing worse is waiting for the results. To ease the anxiety and provide greater access to HIV tests, the FDA approved another option for men and women that prefer more comfort and privacy or for those who don't have ready access to HIV testing centers.

In 1996, the agency sanctioned two tests, the "The Home Access HIV-1 Test System" and "The Home Access Express HIV-1 Test System" made by Home Access Health Corporation. These models are the only home HIV testing kits approved by the US government.

Everyone from the media to the average Joe made a huge mistake in the 80s and 90s when not much was known about HIV and AIDS. For a long time they used the words HIV and AIDS interchangeably—a mistake some continue to make today. The fact is HIV and AIDS aren't the same thing. HIV is the virus that causes AIDS. And not all HIV positive people have or will develop AIDS.

If Your Home Test Is Positive, Do You Need Medicine? If positive, your doctor will tell you if or when you'll need meds. Many HIV-positive people are able to go on with their normal lives without taking medication. Regardless of the result you should follow up with a health care professional for a complete diagnosis and enter into safer sex counseling. Note, however, that what was considered normal before, like diet exercise and sex habits, may have to change.

How HIV is acquired and spread

HIV is a sexually-transmitted disease (STD). This means that you can get HIV from having unprotected sex. Wearing a condom can significantly reduce your risk of contracting the virus. Here are some things you should know. While not very likely, it is possible to get HIV from oral sex. There are ways to stay HIV-free, this includes being intimate with a casual and long term partner with a lower risk of contracting the virus.

While speaking of intimacy, what about the most casual of moments, kissing, that we often share with others ranging from long loves to casual meets? Should we ask for a partner's status even for a peck on the lips or a long sensual kiss?

In a simple answer - No. Although you should always engage in safer sex. There is not a great risk of contracting HIV through kissing. According to the National Health Service (NHS), think the United Kingdom's version of America's Centers for Disease Control (CDC), "The HIV virus can be spread through the exchange of bodily fluids, such as blood, semen and vaginal fluids. However, infectious HIV particles are unable to survive in saliva."

The most common way to spread HIV is through intercourse, anal or oral. HIV is also known to transmit through sharing needles, and it can be passed from an infected pregnant woman to her unborn baby.

However, you cannot catch HIV from:

1. Kissing

2. Being sneezed on by someone with HIV

3. Sharing baths, towels or cutlery with someone with HIV

4. Swimming in a pool that has been used by someone with HIV

5. Sitting on a toilet seat that someone with HIV has previously sat on

Living with HIV

HIV is no longer the death sentence it once was. Treatments are typically very effective and can significantly slow the spread of the virus. Still, living with HIV can often be a very scary and lonely experience. Here are some tips for coping with the virus:

- Build a network of friends and family that you can trust. You'll need all the support and emotional guidance you can get.

- You'll hear a lot about the terms serodiscordant, seropositive, and seroconversion. Here's a quick summary of these important phrases.

Seroconversion:
The incubation time in which a person has been infected with an illness, like HIV, but does not yet test positive. Seroconversion occurs before enough antibodies are produced to indicate HIV positive test results. The seroconversion period for HIV can range from 2 weeks to 6 months, in which time the virus can be transmitted with no sign of infection.

Serodiscordant:
A serodiscordant realtionship is one where one partner is HIV positive and the other is HIV negative.

Seropositive:
Testing positive on a blood serum test for a disease such as HIV. Experiencing the process of seroconversion.

- Having HIV doesn't mean you can't have great sex and/or a loving, long-term relationship. All it means is that you need to learn to be more responsible.

- Remember, you are not alone.