HIV Transmission

HIV is transmitted by the exchange of blood, blood products, sexual fluids and breast milk. Because the HIV virus is present in these fluids, most infection is caused by:

	Having unprotected sex (vaginal, anal or oral) with an infected person
	Injection with an infected syringe (either by accident or by sharing needles, syringes or blood letting implements with an infected person).
	Pregnancy. Either through the placenta in the womb, during childbirth or through HIV infected breast milk.
	Through a blood transfusion in a country where blood is not tested for HIV (testing for HIV has been carried out on all blood and organ donations in the UK since 1985 and high risk groups have been asked not to give blood since 1983)

Here are some ways that HIV cannot be transmitted:

	Kissing		Hugging
	Touching		Playing sports
	From a toilet seat		At the swimming pool
	Being sneezed, coughed or spat upon		Sharing a bathroom/kitchen/toilet
	Sharing cutlery/crockery/drink cans etc		Giving first aid or mouth to mouth (as long as standard procedures are followed)

 
 More comprehensive information on risks may be found on the HIV risks page

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