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No. HIV is not transmitted by day-to-day contact in the workplace,
schools, or social settings. HIV is not transmitted through shaking hands,
hugging, or a casual kiss. You cannot become infected from a toilet seat,
a drinking fountain, a door knob, dishes, drinking glasses, food, or pets.
HIV is not an airborne or food-borne virus, and it does not live long
outside the body. HIV can be found in the blood, semen, or vaginal fluid
of an infected person. The three main ways HIV is transmitted are
through having sex (anal, vaginal, or oral) with someone infected with HIV.
through sharing needles and syringes with someone who has HIV.
through exposure (in the case of infants) to HIV before or during birth, or
through breast feeding.
For more information about HIV transmission, see "HIV and Its
Transmission."
Although contact with blood and other body substances can occur in
households, transmission of HIV is rare in this setting. A small number of
transmission cases have been reported in which a person became
infected with HIV as a result of contact with blood or other body secretions
from an HIV-infected person in the household. For information on these
cases refer to the May 20, 1994 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report,
“Human Immunodeficiency Virus Transmission in Household Settings —
United States” available at
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00030972.htm.
Persons living with HIV and persons providing home care for those living
with HIV should be fully educated and trained regarding appropriate
infection-control procedures.
| Content Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Divisions of HIV/AIDS Prevention National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention |
© 2007 Abesha Care Inc. All Right Reserved. office@abeshacare.org
 | Can I get HIV from casual contact (shaking hands, hugging, using a | |
| toilet, drinking from the same glass, or the sneezing and coughing of an infected person)? |
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