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Types of HIV Transmission

In order to trasmit HIV--the virus that causes AIDS--from one person to another, the infectious fluid of an infected person must cross the blood barrier of an uninfected person. This can occur in a few ways.

  1. Fluids

    • Only four bodily fluids contain a high enough concentration of HIV to transmit the infection to another person. These are blood, semen, breast milk and vaginal secretions, according to the San Francisco AIDS Foundation (SFAF).

    Sex

    • HIV can be transmitted through unprotected sex--vaginal, anal and sometimes oral. The risk of oral transmission is much lower, but could occur if a cut or sore is present in the mouth, according to Avert.org.

    Drug Use

    • Sharing equipment for injection-drug use with an HIV-positive person could lead to transmission. Sharing crack pipes, which cause burns and sores on the faces of users is another route of transmission, according to Avert.org.

    Mother to child

    • An HIV-positive woman can transmit the virus to her child during pregnancy, labor and delivery as well as through breastfeeding, according to Avert.org.

    Donation

    • In places where donated organs and blood are not screened for HIV, it is possible to contract the virus through receiving an infected organ or blood product. This risk has been eliminated in the United States and other developed countries, according Avert.org.

    Prevention

    • Condoms (female condoms, dental dams) should be used during sex. Drug users should not share equipment. HIV-positive mothers can take antiretroviral drugs during pregnancy and should not breastfeed in order to reduce the risk of transmitting the virus to their children.

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