Polk County Health Department

HOW YOU CAN AND CANNOT BECOME INFECTED WITH HIV

You can become infected with HIV by:

How do you get HIV from sexual intercourse?

HIV can be spread through sexual intercourse. It can be transmitted from male to female, female to male, or male to male.
HIV can be found in the blood, semen or vaginal secretion of an infected person. If any of those fluids enter your body during sexual activity, you could become infected.
Anal intercourse with an infected person is one of the ways HIV has been most frequently transmitted.
Since most infected people have no apparent symptoms of the condition, it's hard to be sure who is or is not infected with HIV. So, the more sexual partners you have, the greater your chances of encountering one who is infected, and becoming infected yourself.

How do you get HIV from using needles?

Sharing needles,syringes, or "works" even once, is a very easy way to be infected with HIV. Blood from an infected person can remain in or on a needle or syringe and then be transferred directly into the bloodstream of the next person who uses it.
Sharing other types of needles also may transmit HIV. These types of needles include those used to inject steroids and those used for tattooing or ear-piercing.
If you plan to have your ears pierced or get a tattoo, make sure you go to a qualified technician using sterile equipment. Don't be shy about asking questions. Reputable technicians will explain the safety measures they follow.

HIV and Babies:

A woman infected with HIV can pass the virus on to her baby during pregnancy or during birth. She can also pass it on when breast-feeding.
Any woman who is considering having a baby and who thinks she might have placed herself at risk for HIV infection-even if this occurred years ago- should seek counseling and testing before she gets pregnant. To find out where to go in your area for counseling and testing, call your local health department or the National AIDS Hotline (1-800-CDC-INFO).

Blood transfusions and HIV:

Although in the past some people became infected with HIV from receiving blood transfusions, this risk has been virtually eliminated. Since 1985, blood donors have been screened for HIV and donated blood has been tested for evidence of HIV. All blood found to contain evidence of HIV is discarded. Currently in the U.S., there is almost no chance of infection with HIV through a blood transfusion.

What are ways by which you cannot get HIV and AIDS?

You cannot get HIV from giving blood at a blood bank or other established blood collection center. The needles used for blood donations are sterile. They are used once, then destroyed.
HIV infection doesn't just happen. You can't simply "catch" it like a cold or flu. Unlike cold or flu viruses, HIV is not spread by coughs or sneezes.
You won't get HIV through everyday contact with infected people at school, work, home, or anywhere else.
You won't get HIV from clothes, phones, or toilet seats. It can't be passed on by things like spoons, cups or other objects that someone who is infected has used. You cannot get it from everyday contact with an infected person, such as, hugging or shaking hands.
You won't get HIV from a mosquito bite. HIV does not live in a mosquito, and it is not transmitted through a mosquito's salivary glands like other diseases, such as, malaria or yellow fever. You won't get it from bed bugs, lice, flies or other insects either.
You won't get HIV from sweat, tears or sneezes.

Not all of the answers are in:

You won't get HIV from a kiss. Experts are not completely certain about HIV transmission through deep, prolonged, or "French" kissing. While scientists believe it is remotely possible, there has never been a known case of HIV transmission through kissing. Most scientists agree that transmission of HIV through deep or prolonged kissing may be possible but would be extremely unlikely.