Your child may have been in contact with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), the virus that causes AIDS. Taking the prescribed medicines can lower your child's chance of getting infected with HIV. 

It is very important for your child to take all the prescribed medicines exactly as your health care provider recommends. The medicines won't work as well if your child starts the medicine late, misses a dose, or stops the medicines early.

• Follow your health care provider's instructions on where to get the medicines and how your child should take them.
• Use a pill case to help you remember which medicines to give. 
• Go to all follow-up appointments and have all blood tests as the health care provider recommends.

• You have questions about the medicines or you can't remember how to give them.
• You aren't sure you can pay for the medicines. The medicines are absolutely needed and there are programs that can help you pay for them.
• Your child can't or won't take the medicines.
• Your child feels very tired or has a fever; headache; swollen glands in the neck, armpit, or groin; sore throat; mouth sores; rash; muscle aches; belly pain; nausea; vomiting; diarrhea; or weight loss.

How do people get HIV? HIV can pass from mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding. People also get HIV from being stuck with an infected needle.

In teens, HIV spreads mainly through sex (especially anal and vaginal) and through sharing needles for injecting drugs or tattooing.

How can HIV be prevented? Most HIV is spread through having sex and sharing needles. To prevent the spread of HIV, people should:

• Never share any kind of needle.
• Use a latex condom every time and for every kind of sex (vaginal, oral, or anal).
• Not touch anyone's cuts or sores.
• Avoid any contact with another person's blood.
• Not share razors, toothbrushes, tweezers, or pierced jewelry (which may have blood on them).