Example 1
AIDS.
“What is AIDS?”
AIDS is a disease caused by a virus. This virus attacks your body’s
immune system. Your immune system is very important because it fights
diseases. A person with AIDS has a hard time fighting off diseases.
They become sick very easily. They often get pneumonia or cancer,
and usually they die of one of these diseases.
AIDS is very dangerous. There is no cure for AIDS, and at present,
there is no vaccine to protect you from getting it. Most people who
get AIDS die from it.
“How do I get AIDS?”
When a person is infected with AIDS, the AIDS virus is in their blood
and in their semen. it is also found in smaller amounts in their vaginal
fluid, tears, saliva and breast milk.
AIDS is spread when the virus from an infected
person gets into another person’s blood.
This usually happens in one of these ways:
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1. Unsafe Sex.
AIDS is usually spread by having unsafe sex with an infected person.
This is the most common way that AIDS is spread.
2. Drug Needles. AIDS is also spread by sharing drug needles and syringes
with infected people. Injecting drugs into the veins is often called
“shooting up”.
3. Pregnancy. AIDS can be spread from an infected pregnant mother
to her baby.
4. Blood Transfusions. AIDS can be spread by infected blood during
a blood transfusion. However, all blood in Canada is now tested for
AIDS. Therefore, now there is very little danger of getting AIDS in
a transfusion.
AIDS cannot be caught in everyday situations. It is not spread through
air, water, food, or ordinary body contact. You cannot get AIDS by
holding hands or hugging. You can’t get AIDS by taking care
of an infected person. You can’t get AIDS from toilet’
seats or swimming pools. You can’t get AIDS while giving blood.
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