According to a Today article, the Ministry of Health announced that there are 385 people who got infected with HIV for the first 10 months of this year. There were 215 cases of HIV infection for the first half of the year and 170 additional HIV cases from July to October.
These figures are expected to be similar to 2011 which saw 461 HIV cases. The Health Ministry revealed that 198 (92%) men and 17 (8%) women were infected with HIV during the first half of 2012 and the majority of them were infected with HIV through sexual intercourse.
Straight people get HIV too
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While HIV (Human immunodeficiency virus) is commonly associated with homosexuals, statistics released recently actually show that there are more heterosexuals infected with the disease.
Cases which involved sex between a man and woman made up 50 percent of the total statistic while gay sex made up 43 percent.
Singletons made up the majority of the cases with 63 percent while those who were married or divorced made up 23 percent and 10 percent respectively.
However, the real number of infected people is probably higher than the reported statistics as many people would still be unaware of the fact that they had caught the disease.
Only 14 percent of the HIV cases discovered their infection through voluntary screening while everyone else found out through other screening techniques.
Both the Ministry of Health and the Health Promotion Board is urging people to adhere to “ABCD”: abstinence, being faithful, correct and consistent use of condoms and early detection.
Importance of safe sex
These alarming figures further strengthen the importance of safe sex as many of these cases could have been prevented with the use of a condom. One must bear in mind the fact that every time you start a new sexual relationship with someone, you are exposing yourself to not just contracting HIV but other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) as well.
Apart from wearing condoms, ask your partner about his or her sexual past. One must also keep in mind that not all condoms shield you from STDs. Try to use only latex and polyurethane condoms as they will protect you from STDs.
Beware of cheating spouse
Another important point is that just because you are married does not mean you will not contract HIV. The recent statistics show that 23 percent of the cases involved married people which makes it likely that one of the spouses caught the disease through infidelity.
How to detect infidelity in your partner
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1. Unusual behaviour
If your spouse starts to display unusual behaviour, this is the time you should start panicking. Common cheating related behaviour that you should look out for is when your spouse returns home later than usual, spends an unusually excessive amount of time on the phone or computer or spending money which he or she is unable to account for.
2. Spending more time with someone else
If your spouse is spending excessive amounts of time with someone, warning bells should be going off in your head. Even if your spouse insists that the person is just a friend, you should remember that there is a possibility that the more time your spouse spends with that person, the more likely your spouse will develop feelings for him or her.
3. Privacy issues
If your spouse is requesting more privacy than usual, a possible reason behind that is because he or she has something to hide. If your spouse tries to conceal things which the two of you usually share openly with each other such as bank statements, receipts or computer security, then that is enough reason to get suspicious.
4. Lack of intimacy
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If your spouse seems to be uninterested or always too tired for sex, there is a very real possibility that it is because your spouse is fulfilling their sexual desires elsewhere.
5. Trust your instinct
Once you are desperately trying to convince yourself that your spouse is not straying, then that is a very big sign that something is wrong. Have faith in your own instincts if they tell you something is amiss. Remember that cheating spouses often become very good at lying. Furthermore, your spouses’ friends might be covering up for their infidelity so you must bear that in mind. Do some investigating of the matter and then confront your spouse calmly about the evidence that you have found.
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