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HOW YOU CAN AND CANNOT BECOME INFECTED WITH HIV |
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You can become infected with HIV in two main ways:
- Having sexual intercourse-vaginal,anal,or perhaps oral- with an infected person.
- Sharing drug needles or syringes with an infected person.
Also women infected with HIV can pass the virus to their babies during pregnancy or during
birth. In some cases they can also pass it on when breast-feeding.
Some people have been infected by receiving blood transfusions, especially during
the period before 1985, when careful screening and laboratory testing of the blood
supply began.
You cannot be infected by giving blood at a blood bank.
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How do you get HIV from sexual intercourse?
- HIV can be spread through sexual intercourse, from male to female, female to male,
or male to male.
- HIV may be in an infected person's blood, semen, or vaginal secretions. It is thought
that it can enter the bloodstream through cuts or sores- some so small you don't
know they're there-on tissue in the vagina, penis, or rectum, and possibly the mouth.
- Anal intercourse with an infected person is one of the ways HIV has been most frequently
transmitted.
- Since many 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.
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How do you get HIV from using needles?
- Sharing needles or syringes, even once, is a very easy way to be infected with HIV
and other germs. Sharing needles to inject IV drugs is the most dangerous form of
needle sharing. 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 and other germs. There types
of needles include those used to inject steroid 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.
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HIV and Babies:
- A woman infected with HIV can pass the virus on to her baby during pregnancy or
during birth. In rare instances, she can also pass it on when breast-feeding. If
a woman is infected before or during pregnancy, her child has a one chance in three
of being born with the virus. There is no treatment to prevent this transmission.
- 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 (1-800-342-AIDS).
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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 the detection of HIV infection, 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.
- 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.
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What are ways by which you cannot get HIV and AIDS?
- 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 with the
virus has used. You cannot et it from everyday contact with an infected person.
- You won't get AIDS from a mosquito bite. The AIDS virus 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. Even the rare event that they contain
any virus, they don't contain enough of the virus to infect you.
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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.
- Experts are less sure about HIV transmission through oral intercourse. It may be
possible. The virus is present in semen, vaginal secretions, blood, and occasionally,
in low concentrations, in saliva. During oral intercourse, the person who receives
semen, blood, or vaginal secretions is at greater risk of becoming infected. These
substances might enter the bloodstream through cuts, sores, or openings in the mouth.
These cuts can be so small you don't even know they are there.
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