How Is HIV Transmitted?
How is HIV transmitted?
HIV is present in the blood, breast milk, and the semen, vaginal fluids from infected people. The virus can only be passed on to another person if these fluids get into his or her body.
The ways HIV can be transmitted are sex without a condom, sharing infected needles, syringes, or other injecting drug equipment; from an HIV-positive mother to her baby during pregnancy, birth, or breastfeeding.
But HIV cannot be passed on through kissing, touching, spitting, coughing, or sneezing; through toilet seats, swimming pools, or shared facilities, even utensils. And it cannot be passed on by insects, like mosquitoes.