Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Can Hiv Be Spread By Saliva

How Do You Get Or Transmit Hiv

Is it possible to transmit HIV through saliva?

You can only get HIV by coming into direct contact with certain body fluids from a person with HIV who has a detectable viral load. These fluids are:

  • Blood
  • Semen and pre-seminal fluid
  • Rectal fluids
  • Vaginal fluids
  • Breast milk

For transmission to occur, the HIV in these fluids must get into the bloodstream of an HIV-negative person through a mucous membrane ; open cuts or sores; or by direct injection.

People with HIV who take HIV medicine daily as prescribed and get and keep an undetectable viral load have effectively no risk of sexually transmitting HIV to their HIV-negative partners.

How Long Can Hiv Survive Outside The Human Body

Generally the fragile nature of the virus prevents it from surviving for a substantial amount of time in the open air. The length of time HIV can survive outside the body is dependent on the amount of HIV present in the body fluid and the conditions the fluid is subjected to.

Note that HIV is fragile and many common substances such as hot liquid, soap, bleach, alcohol, and the gastric juices found within your stomach can destroy the virus.

Your skin is a 100% proof barrier against HIV. The virus cannot enter your skin unless there is an open bleeding wound. If you get blood on your skin, simply wash with water and soap. There is no need to scrub because this might damage the skin.

It is good practice to be careful with any blood spill, because one can never tell if the person it came from has HIV or other blood borne infections. You can safely clean such blood spills with water and Clorox.

Effective Barriers Against Hiv

There are many effective barriers that prevent infection.

Skin: Skin is an excellent barrier against HIV, unless there is an open cut or open wound. Infectious fluid on skin is NOT a route for infection.

Mucous membranes in the mouth, throat and stomach: These membranes are good barriers against HIV infection, so long as there are not cuts, ulcers or sores.

Saliva: Saliva contains proteins and a low salt content that actively reduce its infectiousness. Even when HIV is detected there is too little to cause infection. HIV is not transmitted by kissing including deep kissing. Spit cannot transmit HIV.

Air: HIV is not transmitted by air.

Latex and rubber: Condoms prevent infection from HIV and many other sexually transmitted infections.

Many sexual situations have no risk of transmitting HIV.

These include masturbation , kissing and deep kissing, receiving oral sex and vaginal or anal sex using a condom correctly.

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Doubts Persist Even When Risk Is Statistically Zero

Despite increased public awareness about HIV, there remains a lot of confusion about how you can get infected and how you cannot. For example, even though people understand that you can’t get HIV from utensils, there are many who will experience a twinge of concern if they learned that the chef of their favorite restaurant has HIV.

HIV has a way of spurring anxieties in even the best of us and, with it, our sense of reason. Relieving those anxieties often requires us to do more than just lay out the rules. Instead, we need to understand what conditions are required for an infection to take place and why things like hugging, touching, sneezing, or kissing simply do not satisfy those conditions.

How Can You Get Hiv

Important Information

HIV is found in the following bodily fluids of someone living with the virus:

  • blood
  • vaginal fluids
  • breastmilk.

For you to get HIV, these bodily fluids need to get into your blood through a mucous membrane , via shared injecting equipment, or through broken;skin .

There is not enough HIV virus in other bodily fluids, like saliva, sweat or urine, to transmit it from one person to another.

Someone living with HIV who has;an undetectable viral load,;meaning effective treatment has lowered the amount of virus in their blood to levels where it cannot be detected by a normal blood test, cannot pass on HIV.

A person living with HIV with a detectable viral load can;pass the virus to others whether they have symptoms or not.

HIV is most infectious;in the first few weeks after infection.;At this time many;people are unaware of their status.

The main ways you can get HIV are:

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Establishing The Conditions For Hiv Transmission

It’s important to always remember that there are four conditions that must be met in order for HIV transmission to take place:

  • There must be body fluids in which HIV can thrive, such as semen, blood, vaginal fluids or breast milk. HIV cannot thrive in the open air or in parts of the body with high acid content or antimicrobial defenses .
  • There must be a route of transmission, such as through certain sexual activities, shared needles, occupational exposure, or transmission from mother to child.
  • There must be a means for the virus to reach vulnerable cells inside your body, either through a rupture or penetration of the skin, absorption through mucosal tissues, or both. HIV cannot penetrate intact skin.
  • There must be sufficient levels of virus in the body fluids, which is why saliva, sweat, and tears are unlikely sources since the level of virus in these fluids is considered insufficient for infection.
  • Based on these conditions, the likelihood of HIV transmission by kissing is not only considered low but pretty much near impossible.

    Salivary Diagnostics For Hcv

    The common hepatitis viruses are named with the letters A through E. Vaccines are available for hepatitis A virus and hepatitis B virus ; vaccines are in development for hepatitis E virus, but the FDA has not yet approved them. Blood safety procedures for donor blood for transfusion-transmissible infectious diseases include various tests for HBV and HCV . No vaccine currently is available for HCV.

    HCV, like HIV, is an RNA virus. Chronic infection causes liver cirrhosis, which may lead to liver failure, cancer or extremely dilated sub-mucosal veins in the stomach and esophagus. Acute infections generally are accompanied by mild symptoms and are not recognized easily. In contrast to HIV, HCV infections can resolve spontaneously; however, like HIV, the virus may remain latent and can be activated at a later time. The first step in screening is to test for the presence of antibodies; if the test result is positive, then a confirmatory test is required. Typically, the confirmatory test, as for HIV, is a Western assay combined with a nucleic acidbased viral load assay.

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    Hiv: How Its Transmitted

    HIV is spread through certain body fluids, such as blood, semen , rectal fluids, vaginal fluids, and breast milk, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services AIDS.gov website. The virus can be transmitted when these fluids in an infected person come into contact with mucous membranes in the rectum, vagina, penis, or mouth of another person.

    While HIV can be spread during anal or vaginal sex, anal sex is riskier because there is more trauma and irritation to the mucous membranes, says Beverly Sha, MD, professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

    Although the risk is low, HIV can also be spread through oral sex. HIV transmission can happen during ejaculation into the mouth, or if there are mouth ulcers, bleeding gums, genital sores, or other sexually transmitted diseases present, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    Using condoms during sex lowers the risk of HIV transmission. When they are used properly, its clear they offer significant protection, Dr. Sha says. However, condoms can fail when they break, if theyre too old, or if they are not used correctly.

    The virus can also spread if infected fluids come into contact with damaged tissue, such as a cut in the skin, or if infected blood is transferred from a needle or syringe. Doing injection drugs with someone who is infected and sharing equipment is high risk. HIV can be found in a used needle for as long as 42 days.

    Ways That Hiv Is Not Transmitted

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    HIV is not transmitted by day-to-day activities or by contact with objects, food or clothes.

    The following list includes just a few examples of questions we get from people worried about catching HIV.

    Most of these questions come from a combination of fear and ignorance. They come from a lack of confidence in understanding HIV transmission.

    You can NOT catch HIV from:

    • Eating any food, cooked or uncooked, with blood on it.
    • From a sterile needle at a clinic or other health centre.
    • From a human bite.
    • From an insect bite including a mosquito bite.
    • From an animal.
    • From living in the same house as someone who is HIV positive.
    • From a sewing needle if you stab your finger.
    • From blood on a bus seat that went through your underwear.
    • Cleaning nail clippers.
    • Using a knife/fork/spoon/cup/plate that an HIV positive person may have used.
    • Getting sexual fluid on skin.
    • Getting sexual fluid on a cut that has already healed over. A cut has to be open to be a risk of HIV.

    The above are all real examples sent as questions to i-Base. They show that ignorance about HIV is still common.;

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    Hiv And Maternal Transmission

    HIV can be passed from mother to child during pregnancy, delivery, or through breastfeeding. If left untreated throughout these stages, there is a 15-45% chance of an HIV positive mother transmitting the virus to their child . However there are treatment options to prevent this from happening.

    If pregnancy occurs and there has been potential HIV exposure, ask a healthcare provider about getting tested for HIV as early as possible. Taking medications called antiretroviral therapy as prescribed can reduce the viral load so that the baby has a very low chance of contracting HIV .

    A person with HIV should not breastfeed their child, as breast milk can transmit HIV. Even if a person is taking ART and their viral loads are undetectable, they should still not breastfeed.

    Myth : Theres No Treatment For Hiv

    Sure, the early days of HIV and AIDS were grim, just given how little people knew about the virus and the condition.

    But treatment has come a long way since the 80s. Today, antiretroviral medications can greatly reduce the amount of the virus in a persons body, often to the point that HIV no longer shows up on blood tests.

    When that happens, the person has effectively no risk of transmitting HIV to others. Plus, it helps prevent HIV from progressing.

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    How Is Hiv Spread Through Blood

    You can become infected if you have contact with the blood of someone who has HIV. Blood-borne infection with HIV can occur through:

    • sharing injection equipment when using drugs
    • getting tattoos or body piercings with unsterilized needles
    • accidental needle sticks
    • splashing blood in your eyes

    HIV is NOT spread by blood passed through insect bites.

    If you inject drugs, the best thing to do is to use new or sterilized injection equipment every time. You can also take a daily medication called pre-exposure prophylaxis to lower your risk of HIV. .

    Can You Get Hiv Through Oral Sex

    Can AIDS be transmitted through saliva?

    The risk of HIV from oral sex is very small unless you or your partner have large open sores on the genital area or bleeding gums/sores in your mouth.

    There is only a slightly increased risk if a woman being given oral sex is HIV-positive and is menstruating. However, you can always use a dental dam to eliminate these risks.

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    Does Hiv Viral Load Affect Getting Or Transmitting Hiv

    Yes.;Viral load is the amount of HIV in the blood of someone who has HIV. Taking HIV medicine daily as prescribed can make the viral load very lowso low that a test cant detect it .

    People with HIV who take HIV medicine daily as prescribed and get and keep an undetectable viral load have effectively no risk of transmitting HIV to an HIV-negative partner through sex.

    HIV medicine is a powerful tool for preventing sexual transmission of HIV. But it works only as long as the HIV-positive partner gets and keeps an undetectable viral load. Not everyone taking HIV medicine has an undetectable viral load. To stay undetectable, people with HIV must take HIV medicine every day as prescribed and visit their healthcare provider regularly to get a viral load test. Learn more.

    Myth : Hiv And Aids Are The Same Thing

    We get it: HIV and AIDS have been lumped together for so long that many people assume theyre the same thing.

    But lets get the facts straight. HIV is a virus that attacks the immune system, while AIDS is a condition that can develop after HIV has caused serious damage.

    You can live with HIV and stay healthy for decades without ever developing AIDS, as long as you get treatment. Otherwise, HIV can progress to AIDS in three stages, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention :

  • Acute HIV infection. This stage involves a lot of HIV in the blood and can come with flu-like symptoms .
  • Chronic HIV infection. Also known as asymptomatic HIV infection, this is when HIV is still active but doesnt reproduce as quickly as in the first stage. People often dont have symptoms at this point.
  • AIDS. This is when a person has a high viral load, very low levels of important white blood cells called CD4 cells, and severe damage to their immune system.
  • Once upon a time, HIV was sort of seen as a death sentence because of that progression to AIDS. But thanks to treatment options that have been developed over the years, most people with HIV never reach a late-stage infection and often have long, healthy lives.

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    Can Hiv Be Transmitted Through Oral Sex

    Yes, but the risk is relatively low.

    HIV is transmitted through seminal and vaginal fluids, including menstrual fluids. The virus can enter the body through the bloodstream or by passing through delicate mucous membranes, such as inside the vagina, rectum or urethra.

    If a person gives fellatio and has bleeding gums, a cut, or an ulcer inside their mouth, HIV could enter their bloodstream through infected fluid. This could also happen if infected fluid from a woman gets into the mouth of her partner during oral sex.

    Using a;condom during sex, including oral and anal sex, is the best way to prevent;sexually transmitted infections , including HIV. Avoid using an oil-based lubricant, such as Vaseline or baby oil, because they can weaken the condom and increase the;risk of it splitting.

    You can use a dental dam to cover the anus or female genitals during oral sex. A dental dam is a latex or polyurethane square, measuring about 15cm by 15cm. It acts as a barrier to help stop STIs passing from one person to another.

    Blood Transfusions And Organ Donation

    Rapid HIV Saliva Swab Test | DTAP Express Clinic

    The risk of contracting HIV from a blood transfusion, other blood products, or organ donation is now extremely rare in the United States. All donated blood or blood products in the United States are tested for several types of bloodborne pathogens, including HIV.

    Blood donations that test positive for HIV are safely discarded and dont enter the blood supply. The risk of HIV transmission during a blood transfusion is conservatively estimated to be

    , there are no known instances of HIV being transmitted by receiving a tattoo or piercing. However, its technically possible for transmission to occur if equipment or ink is reused or shared.

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    How Is Hiv Spread

    HIV is spread through the exchange of particular bodily fluids like semen, breast milk, and blood.;

    Important: The most common way HIV spreads is through sexual intercourse. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 138 people per 10,000 exposures are at risk of getting HIV through receptive anal sex.;

    Other common ways in which you can be infected with HIV include:;

    • Anal sex: Anal sex is the riskiest type of sex to have with a person who has HIV. It becomes even riskier if you are on the receiving end during intercourse. This is because the lining of the rectum is very thin, and can allow the virus to easily pass through.;
    • Penetrative vaginal sex: This is not as risky as anal sex, but is still a very common way for the virus to be spread. Here either party can contract the virus.;
    • Sharing needles and syringes: Sharing needles and syringes for steroids, drugs, or hormones with a person who has HIV puts you at high risk of getting the virus.;
    • Through pregnancy and breastfeeding: HIV can sometimes be passed from a mother to her baby through pregnancy and breastfeeding. This is known as perinatal transmission. It’s uncommon for this to occur if the mother is aware of her status and is receiving adequate treatment.;

    HIV can also be spread in other ways. However, these are rarer:;

    Isnt Hiv Only A Risk For Certain Groups Of People

    Like most illnesses, HIV doesnt discriminate between types of people and the infection can be passed on to anyone via one of the ways mentioned above.

    Some people are more vulnerable to HIV infection if they engage regularly in certain activities that are more likely to transmit the virus. However, its a common misunderstanding that HIV only affects certain groups.

    While not everyone has the same level of HIV risk, everyone can reduce their risk of infection.

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