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HIV can be transmitted by the exchange of blood or body fluids
from someone who is infected. The most common routes of transmission
are:
- Unprotected anal sex
- Unprotected vaginal sex
- Sharing needles
- Occupational exposure
Other behaviors that could result in HIV transmission include
unprotected oral sex, maternal/fetal transmission, and tattoos
and piercing without sterilization of instruments. HIV can't
be transmitted by mosquitoes, toilet seats, eating utensils,
or casual contact with someone who is infected. For transmission
to occur there must be contact with the virus via damaged
skin or a break in the mucous membrane.
Not every exposure to HIV results
in infection, but any exposure can result in infection.
In the US, donated blood has been tested for HIV since 1985.
However, as a warning for travelers, not all countries screen
donated blood for HIV. Therefore, in the US HIV infections
that result from blood transfusions are rare but still occur.
HIV prevention programs focus on both abstinence and barrier
use. Still, after years of prevention messages and millions
of dollars, people continue to engage in high risk behaviors.
In fact, there is evidence that many adolescents have "tuned
out" prevention messages and inconsistently use barriers when
having sex.
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Table 1.
Estimation of New HIV Cases in the U.S, 2006 (Hall,
2008).
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|
Route
|
Percentage
|
| MSM |
53 |
| Heterosexual Sex |
31 |
| IDU |
12 |
| MSM/IDU |
4 |
Continue on to Clinical
Management of HIV
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