H1N1 and HIV

Does having HIV increase your chances of contracting H1N1 (or the Swine Flu) virus?

"Since we know that HIV weakens the immune system, naturally we would assume people with HIV would be more at risk," says Mark Cichocki, About.com Guide to HIV/AIDS. "Actually that is not the case. Because our immune systems are not responsible for fighting off the flu, HIV positive people are generally not considered to be at greater risk of contracting the flu than HIV negative people, regardless of their immune system health."

Mark warns that there is an exception. HIV-positive people should keep in mind that "bacterial pneumonia often accompanies influenza" and "people with certain chronic illnesses, including HIV are at added risk for a superinfection of bacterial pneumonia once they get the flu." So, those with weaker immune systems should take added precautions... jump