This National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NWGHAAD), the Office on Women's Health wants everyone to make the best choices when it comes to protecting their health. Abstinence is the best way to avoid HIV, but if you decide to have sex, there are steps you can take to protect yourself and others from HIV. Most people who die from HIV/AIDS do not die from the virus itself but rather from these so-called "opportunistic infections," which take advantage of a weak immune system, according to the University of California, San Francisco.

Everyone — women, men, community organizations, health care professionals, those who are HIV-negative, and those living with HIV — has a role to play in HIV prevention. There are steps you can take to protect yourself, your partner, your patients, family, and neighbors from HIV infection.

https://www.womenshealth.gov/nwghaad