Transmission
How Is HIV Transmitted?
HIV is passed from person to person in the following ways, which is called transmission:
- Blood
- Semen
- Vaginal Fluids
- Breast Milk
- Pre-ejaculate
You cannot get HIV from kissing, cuddling, sharing cutlery, animals including mosquitoes, eating food or toilets.
Information on HIV frequently changes. We still do not know for sure where the virus came from and we are constantly learning how HIV affects our bodies. New drugs come onto the market regularly and the side effects of these very powerful drugs are not fully known. The information that does remain constant is that of transmission. The important HIV prevention message is: HIV is transmitted through activities, it is not transmitted because of who you are.
The main ways to transmit HIV are:
- Unprotected sex
- Sharing drug equipment
- Blood
- Mother to baby
Unprotected Sex
What
do you think unprotected sex means? Having sex in the bath? Or wearing
condoms? If you are having sex, using condoms or femidoms is the safer
way to protect yourself from HIV. Using condoms and femidoms correctly
means knowing how to use one. Using either for the first time with a partner
can be made fun and enjoyable and remember - practice makes perfect.
When choosing a condom remember to look out for a Kitemark or the CE mark, that it is still in date and that you choose the right condom for you. Some flavoured condoms are best only for oral sex and there are superstrong condoms for anal sex. Some condoms have spermicide on them which some people are allergic to and comfort between makes differ. So if you don't like one condom try another variety or make and if you're not sure what to use then contact us for more information.
Sharing Drug Equipment
The
highest risk here is sharing needles but there is also some risk in sharing
other people's 'works' - this includes all their equipment from cup to
spoon to filter.
HIV is not the only risk, Hepatitis C is also highly contagious.
Why are recreational drugs including in the warning image to the left? What most people don't consider is that there is a risk with all drugs, not just those that are injected. The risk here is that all drugs (and alcohol is included), reduce inhibitions. The effects of drugs and alcohol may make us feel relaxed and so we take risks that we would normally not take. Safer sex messages are not remembered and using condoms and femidoms is no longer important.
Blood
Passing
HIV infected blood from one person to another is high risk. This can happen
through unprotected sex, sharing drug equipment, or other activities where
bleeding occurs. Blood products are screened for HIV in this country.
This is not the case in the rest of the world.
To reduce any possible risks whenever you come into contact with any blood or blood products you should always wear gloves. If gloves are not available then wash your hands thoroughly after handling these fluids. Risks of infection always increase if you have any cuts or wounds on your hands.
Mother to Baby
HIV
is transmitted here via the placenta and during birth. Breast feeding
is not recommended in this country although it is in other countries where
the risks of bottle feeding outweigh the risks of passing HIV through
to the baby. If the mother knows she is HIV positive when she becomes
pregnant both her and her baby will need to take anti HIV drugs. These
drugs combined with a caesarean section and no breast feeding signficantly
reduces the figures of transmitting from mother to baby.
What do you think is the percentage of mothers transmitting HIV to their babies if the above is followed?
0 - 10%
10 - 20%
30%
more?
The answer for western countries is about 1% but still 300 infants are born to HIV infected women each year in the UK (Figures PHLS to June 2000). Three quarters of HIV infection in pregnant women remains undiagnosed at the time of birth. To address this all pregnant women living in the UK are offered an HIV test alongside their present testing as from 2001.