Transmission and prevention of HIV

HIV is found in the body fluids of an infected person, and for a person to be infected the virus has to enter the body in sufficient quantities, i.e. if an infected persons’ semen, vaginal secretions/fluid, blood or breast milk enters your blood stream. Saliva, sweat, tears and urine do not contain sufficient quantities of the virus to be infectious, and HIV is not transmitted through normal household contact (including kissing). HIV is spread most commonly by unprotected penetrative sexual contact with an infected partner. HIV is also spread through contact with infected blood. In this manner drug users frequently spread HIV by sharing needles contaminated with infected blood. HIV positive mothers can also transmit HIV to their unborn babies during pregnancy, at birth and through breastfeeding (mother-to-child-transmission, MTCT).

The pursuit of an AIDS vaccine remains a critical international goal and significant funds have been made available to this end. Considerable opportunity also still exists to prevent new HIV infections among the youth via focused interventions. Since there is still no effective vaccine available, the only way to prevent infection is to avoid behaviour that puts one at risk of infection, such as sharing needles and having unprotected sex. A prominent means of prevention is practising safer sex. Safer sex means making sure one does not get anyone else’s blood, semen, vaginal fluids, or breast milk in one’s body, as well as protecting your partners while having sex. The simplest way to prevent HIV infection is abstinence, meaning abstaining from sex altogether. Another way to reduce the risk of infection is to limit sex to a faithful monogamous relationship with an uninfected partner. For more information on transmission and prevention go to www.thebody.com