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Where
can HIV be found? Which bodily fluids contain HIV?
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HIV is present in infectious quantities in:
During invasive surgical procedures healthcare workers may also come into contact with the following bodily fluids, which contain significant amounts of HIV:
HIV is present in negligible quantities in:
HIV is not present in:
How
long can HIV survive outside the human body?
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Generally the fragile nature of the virus prevents it from surviving for a substantial amount of time in the open air.
The only studies on the survival of HIV outside the body have been conducted in the laboratory under controlled scientific conditions. These studies have found HIV is not affected by extreme cold, but it is destroyed by temperatures of 60 degrees centigrade and above.
Scientific studies have found that HIV can sometimes survive in dried blood at room temperature for up to six days. It is extremely difficult to assess exactly the length of survival of HIV outside the body in a non-laboratory setting.
Is
there any way that HIV can create itself?
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HIV cannot create itself under any circumstances. The virus has to be present in a person's body and then passed on to someone else. HIV does not develop in a person's body of its own accord like for example cancer. HIV is a transmissible infection, which is passed from one person to another.
The only way that a person can become infected with HIV is if the bodily fluids of an infected person get into the body of an uninfected person.
The main ways in which HIV transmission takes place are through unprotected anal or vaginal sexual intercourse i.e. sex without a condom. Through blood to blood contact, usually infection in this way is the result of sharing needles with an infected person. Finally infection may take place from an infected mother to her child either in the womb, at birth or through breastfeeding.
How
safe is oral sex?
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Although it is possible to become infected with HIV through oral sex, the risk of becoming infected in this way is much lower than the risk of infection via unprotected sexual intercourse with a man or woman.
When giving oral sex to a man (sucking or licking a man's penis) a person could become infected with HIV if infected semen got into any cuts, sores or receding gums a person might have in their mouth.
Giving oral sex to a woman (licking a woman's clitoris or vagina) is also considered relatively low risk. Transmission could take place if infected sexual fluids from a woman got into the mouth of her partner. The likelihood of infection occurring might be increased if there is menstrual blood involved or the woman is infected with another STD.
The likelihood of either a man or a woman becoming infected with HIV as a consequence of receiving oral sex is extremely low.
What
are the chances of becoming infected with HIV if he doesn't come inside me?
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Whilst research suggests that high concentrations of HIV can some times be detected in pre-cum, it difficult to judge whether HIV is present in sufficient quantities for infection to occur. To guard against the possibility of infection with HIV or any other STD it is best to practise safer sex i.e. sex with a condom.
Is
deep kissing a route of HIV transmission?
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Deep or open-mouthed kissing is a very low risk activity in terms of HIV transmission. HIV is only present in saliva in very minute amounts, insufficient to cause infection with HIV alone.
There has been only one documented case of someone becoming infected with HIV through kissing; a result of exposure to infected blood during open-mouthed kissing. If you or your partner have blood in your mouth, you should avoid kissing until the bleeding stops.
Can
I become infected with HIV through normal social contact/activities such as
shaking hands/toilet seats/swimming pools/sharing cutlery/kissing/sneezes and
coughs?
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No. This is because HIV is not an airborne, water borne or food-borne virus. Also, the virus does not survive for very long outside the human body. Therefore ordinary social contact such as kissing, shaking hands, coughing and sharing cutlery does not result in the virus being passed from one person to another.
Can
I become infected with HIV from needles on movie/cinema seats?
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There have been a number of stories circulating via the Internet and e-mail, about people becoming infected from needles left on cinema seats and in coin return slots. However these rumours appear to have no factual basis.
For HIV infection to take place in this way the needle would need to contain infected blood with a high level of infectious virus. If a person was then pricked with an infected needle, they could become infected although there is only a 0.4% chance.
Although discarded needles can transfer blood and blood-borne illnesses such as hepatitis B, C and HIV, the risk of infection taking place in this way is extremely low.
Is
there a risk of HIV transmission when having a tattoo, body piercing or visiting
the barbers?
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If instruments contaminated with blood are not sterilised between clients there is a risk of HIV transmission. However, people who carry out body piercing or tattoos should follow procedures called 'universal precautions', which are designed to prevent the transmission of blood borne infections such as HIV and Hepatitis B.
When visiting the barbers there is no risk of infection unless the skin is cut and infected blood gets in to the wound. Traditional "cut-throat" razors used by barbers now have disposable blades, which should only be used once, and so reduce the risk of blood borne infections such as Hepatitis and HIV.
Am
I at risk of becoming infected with HIV when visiting the doctor's or dentist's?
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Transmission of HIV in a healthcare setting is extremely rare. All health professionals are required to follow infection control procedures when caring for any patient. These procedures are called universal precautions for infection control. They are designed to protect both patients and healthcare professionals from the transmission of blood-borne diseases such as hepatitis B and HIV.
Can
I become infected with HIV through biting?
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Infection with HIV in this way is unusual. There have only been a couple of documented cases of HIV transmission resulting from biting. In these particular cases, severe tissue tearing and damage were reported in addition to the presence of blood.
Can
I get HIV from a mosquito?
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No it is not possible to get HIV from mosquitoes. When taking blood from someone mosquitoes do not inject blood from any previous person. The only thing that a mosquito injects is saliva, which acts as a lubricant and enables it to feed more efficiently.
If
blood splashes into my eye can I become infected with HIV?
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Research suggests the risk of HIV infection in this way is extremely small. A very small number of people -usually in a healthcare setting- have become infected with HIV as a result of blood splashes in the eye.
Would
I know whether I was infected with HIV if I got tested straight away?
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Infection with HIV has no specific symptoms. The only way you can find out for sure if you are infected with HIV is by taking the HIV antibody test.
The HIV antibody test looks for antibodies to the virus in a person's blood. For most people these antibodies take 3 months to develop, with 98% having developed antibodies within six months of infection.
Getting tested before the 3 month period is up may result in an unclear test result, as an infected person may not have developed antibodies to HIV yet. So it is best to wait for at least three months after the last time you were at risk before taking the test. Some test centres may recommend testing again at 6 months, just to be extra sure.
It is also important that you are not at risk of further exposures to HIV during this time period. Most importantly you should continue to practice safe sex and not share needles.
What
are the first symptoms of HIV infection?
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The only way to know for sure whether you are infected with HIV is to have an HIV antibody test.
The symptoms of initial HIV infection are not very specific. If a person is infected, a few weeks after infection some people experience a flu-like illness. Only a fifth of people experience symptoms which are serious enough to require a doctor's attention.
Several years after infection a person may experience symptoms of particular illnesses and cancers. These are the result of the infected person's immune system being damaged by HIV to the point where it is no longer able to fight off these opportunistic infections.
In each case, HIV infection is difficult to diagnose with out having taken an HIV antibody test first.
How
do I know if I have AIDS?
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You cannot tell whether a person is infected with HIV or has developed AIDS by how they look and appear to you.
A person infected with HIV is diagnosed as having AIDS when they develop an AIDS defining illness. This is the result of HIV weakening their immune system to the point at which it has difficulty fighting off infections that would otherwise be controlled by a healthy immune system. Because these illness take advantage of an infected persons immune system to cause illness, they are also know as opportunistic infections.
In many countries anti-viral drugs are available to people with HIV to help reduce the rate at which HIV weakens the immune system. There are also drugs available to prevent and treat some of the specific opportunistic infections.