Key Points About HIV Prevention
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- HIV is spread through contact with the
blood, semen, pre-seminal fluid, vaginal fluids, rectal
fluids, or breast milk from a person infected with HIV.
- In the United States, HIV is spread
mainly by having sex or sharing injection drug equipment, such as needles,
with someone who has HIV.
- To reduce your risk of HIV infection, use
condoms correctly every time you have vaginal, oral, or anal sex. Don’t
inject drugs. If you do, use only sterile injection equipment and water
and never share your equipment with others.
- Treatment with HIV medicines (called antiretroviral therapy
or ART for short) helps people with HIV live longer, healthier lives.
Although ART can reduce the risk of HIV transmission, it’s still important
to use condoms during sex.
How is HIV spread?
- Blood
- Semen
- Pre-seminal fluids
- Rectal fluids
- Vaginal fluids
The spread of HIV from person to person is
called HIV transmission.
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In the United States, HIV is spread mainly by having sex or sharing injection
drug equipment, such as needles, with someone who has HIV.
HIV can also pass from an HIV-infected woman to her child during pregnancy,
childbirth (also called labor and delivery), or breastfeeding. This spread of
HIV is called mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
In the past, some people were infected with HIV after receiving a blood
transfusion or organ transplant from an HIV-infected donor. Today, this risk is
very low because the supply of donated blood and organs is carefully tested in
the United States.
You can’t get HIV by shaking hands with, hugging, or closed-mouth kissing a
person infected with HIV. And you can’t get HIV from contact with objects such
as toilet seats, doorknobs, or dishes used by a person infected with HIV.
How can I reduce my risk of getting HIV?
Anybody can get HIV, but you can take steps to
protect yourself from HIV infection.
- Get tested and know your partner’s HIV
status. Talk to
your partner about HIV testing and get tested before you have sex.
- Have less risky sex. Oral sex is much less risky than
anal or vaginal sex. Anal sex is the most risky type of sex for the spread
of HIV.
- Use condoms. Use a condom every time you have
vaginal, anal, or oral sex. Read this fact sheet on how to use condoms correctly.
- Limit your number of sexual partners. If you have more than one sexual
partner, get tested for HIV regularly. Get tested and treated for sexually
transmitted infections (STIs), and insist that your partners do, too.
Having an STI can increase your risk of becoming infected with HIV.
- Talk to your health care provider about
pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). PrEP is an HIV prevention method that involves taking
an HIV medicine every day. PrEP is intended for people who don’t have HIV
but who are at high risk of sexually transmitted HIV infection. PrEP
should always be combined with other prevention methods, including condom
use.
- Don’t inject drugs. But if you do, use
only sterile drug injection equipment and water and never share your
equipment with others.
I am HIV positive but my partner is HIV negative.
How can I protect my partner from HIV?
Take HIV medicines daily. Treatment with HIV
medicines (called antiretroviral therapy or ART for short) helps people with
HIV live longer, healthier lives. ART can’t cure HIV infection but it can
reduce the amount of HIV in the body. Having less HIV in your body will reduce
your risk of passing HIV to your partner during sex. For added protection, you
can also talk to your partner about taking PrEP.
If you inject drugs, don’t share your needles, syringes, or other drug
equipment with your partner.
Are HIV medicines used in other situations to
prevent HIV infection?
Yes, HIV medicines are also used for
post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) and to prevent mother-to-child transmission of
HIV.
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HIV can also pass from an HIV-infected woman to her child during pregnancy, childbirth (also called labor and delivery), or breastfeeding. This spread of HIV is called mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
In the past, some people were infected with HIV after receiving a blood transfusion or organ transplant from an HIV-infected donor. Today, this risk is very low because the supply of donated blood and organs is carefully tested in the United States.
You can’t get HIV by shaking hands with, hugging, or closed-mouth kissing a person infected with HIV. And you can’t get HIV from contact with objects such as toilet seats, doorknobs, or dishes used by a person infected with HIV.
If you inject drugs, don’t share your needles, syringes, or other drug equipment with your partner.
Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP)
PEP is the use of HIV medicine to reduce the
risk of HIV infection after a possible exposure to HIV. PEP may be used, for
example, after a person has sex without a condom with a person who is infected
with HIV or after a health care worker is accidentally exposed to HIV in the
workplace. To be effective, PEP must be started within 3 days after the
possible exposure to HIV.
Prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV
Pregnant HIV-infected women take HIV medicines during pregnancy and childbirth to reduce the risk of passing HIV to their babies. Their newborn babies also receive HIV medicine for 6 weeks after birth. The HIV medicine reduces the risk of infection from HIV that may have entered a baby’s body during childbirth. HIV-infected women living in the United States should not breastfeed their babies. In the United States, baby formula is a safe and healthy alternative to breast milk.
How can I learn more about preventing HIV?
- Watch this video on HIV prevention.
- Browse through the following information.
This fact sheet is based on this information.
- From the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention: HIV Transmission and HIV Prevention
- From the Department of Veterans
Affairs: How is HIV spread?
- From the Office on Women's Health: Preventing HIV infection
The above information is from the National Institute for Health (NIH).
Learn more about HIV on the NIH website at http://aidsinfo.nih.gov/education-materials/fact-sheets/20/48/the-basics-of-hiv-prevention#
Learn more about HIV on the NIH website at http://aidsinfo.nih.gov/education-materials/fact-sheets/20/48/the-basics-of-hiv-prevention#
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