Fact Sheet Number 150
OF HIV
- HOW DO YOU GET INFECTED WITH HIV?
- HOW CAN YOU PROTECT YOURSELF AND OTHERS?
- WHAT IF I’VE BEEN EXPOSED?
- THE BOTTOM LINE
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PrintINFECTED WITH HIV?
The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is not spread easily. You
can only get HIV if you get infected blood or sexual fluids into
your system. You can’t get it from mosquito bites, coughing or
sneezing, sharing household items, or swimming in the same pool
as someone with HIV.
Some people talk about “shared body fluids” being
risky for HIV, but no documented cases of HIV have been caused
by sweat, saliva or tears. However, even small amounts of blood
in your mouth might transmit HIV during kissing or oral sex. Blood
can come from flossing your teeth, or from sores caused by gum
disease, or by eating very hot or sharp, pointed food.
To infect someone, the virus has to get past the body’s defenses.
These include skin and saliva. If your skin is not cut, it protects
you against infection from blood or sexual fluids. Saliva contains
chemicals that can help kill HIV in your mouth.
If HIV-infected blood or sexual fluid gets inside your body,
you can get infected. This can happen through an open sore or
wound, during sexual activity, or if you share equipment to inject
drugs.
HIV can also be spread from a mother to her infant during pregnancy
or delivery. This is called “vertical transmission.”
A baby can also be infected by drinking an infected woman’s breast
milk. Fact Sheet 611 has more
information on pregnancy.
YOURSELF AND OTHERS?
Unless you are absolutely certain that you and the people you
are with do not have HIV infection, you should take steps to prevent
getting infected. This fact sheet provides an overview of HIV
prevention, and refers you to other fact sheets for more details
on specific topics.
Sexual Activity: You can avoid any risk of HIV
if you practice abstinence (not having sex). You also won’t get
infected if your penis, mouth, vagina or rectum don’t touch anyone
else’s penis, mouth, vagina, or rectum. Safe activities include
kissing, erotic massage, masturbation or hand jobs (mutual masturbation).
Having sex in a monogamous (faithful) relationship is safe
if:
- Both of you are uninfected (HIV-negative)
- You both have sex only with your partner
- Neither one of you gets exposed to HIV through drug use or
other activities
If there are no open sores or blood in the mouth, oral sex
has a lower reisk of infection than anal or vaginal sex.
You can reduce the risk of infection with HIV and other sexually
transmitted diseases by using barriers like condoms. Traditional
condoms go on the penis, and a new type of condom goes in the
vagina or in the rectum. For more information on condoms, see
Some chemicals called spermicides can prevent pregnancy but
they don’t prevent HIV. They might even increase your risk of
getting infected if they cause irritation or swelling.
For more information on safer sex, see Fact
Sheet 151.
Drug Use: If you’re high on drugs, you might
forget to use protection during sex. If you use someone else’s
equipment (needles, syringes, cookers, cotton or rinse water)
you can get infected by tiny amounts of blood. The best way to
avoid infection is to not use drugs.
If you use drugs, you can prevent infection by not injecting
them. If you do inject, don’t share equipment. If you must share,
clean equipment with bleach and water before every use.
Some communities have started exchange programs that give free,
clean syringes to people so they won’t need to share. Call the
New Mexico AIDS Hotline at (800) 545-2437 for the location of
legal needle exchange programs in New Mexico. Fact
Sheet 153 has more details on drug use and HIV prevention.
Vertical Transmission: With no treatment, about
25% of the babies of HIV-infected women would be born infected.
The risk drops to about 2% if a woman takes AZT during pregnancy
and delivery, and then her newborn is given AZT, and if the baby
is delivered by Caesarian section (C-section.)
Babies can get infected if they drink breast milk from an HIV-infected
woman. Women with HIV should use baby formulas or breast milk
from a woman who is not infected to feed their babies.
Fact Sheet 611 has more information
on HIV and pregnancy.
Contact with Blood: HIV is one of many diseases
that can be transmitted by blood. Be careful if you are helping
someone who is bleeding. If your work exposes you to blood, be
sure to protect any cuts or open sores on your skin, as well as
your eyes and mouth. Your employer should provide gloves, facemasks
and other protective equipment, plus training about how to avoid
diseases that are spread by blood.
EXPOSED?
If you think you have been exposed to HIV, talk to your health
care provider or the public health department, and get tested.
For more information on HIV testing, see Fact
Sheet 102.
If you are sure that you have been exposed, call your doctor
to discuss whether you should immediately start taking anti-HIV
drugs. This is called “post exposure prophylaxis” or
PEP. You would take two or three medications for several weeks.
These drugs can decrease the risk of infection, but they have
some serious side effects. Fact Sheet 154
has more information on PEP.
HIV does not spread easily from person to person. To get infected
with HIV, infected blood, sexual fluid, or mother’s milk has to
get into your body. HIV-infected pregnant women can pass the infection
to their new babies.
To decrease the risk of spreading HIV:
- Use condoms during sexual activity
- Do not share drug injection equipment
- If you are HIV-infected and pregnant, talk with your doctor
about taking anti-HIV drugs
- If you are an HIV-infected woman, don’t breast feed any baby
- Protect cuts, open sores, and your eyes and mouth from contact
with blood.
If you think you’ve been exposed to HIV, get tested and ask
your doctor about taking anti-HIV medications.
Revised February 28, 2002
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New Mexico AIDS Education and Training Center
and the New Mexico Department of Health