How You Cannot Get HIV
HIV is a fragile virus. It does not survive long outside the body, and it spreads only in a few specific ways. If you are worried about an everyday situation, there is a good chance it is on the list below.
How HIV can be transmitted
HIV passes only through certain body fluids of a person who has HIV and a detectable viral load: blood, semen, pre-seminal fluid, vaginal fluids, rectal fluids and breast milk. The fluid has to reach a mucous membrane (inside the anus, vagina, penis or mouth), damaged tissue, or the bloodstream, for example through a shared needle.
In practice almost all infections come from anal or vaginal sex without a condom, sharing injection equipment, or from mother to child during pregnancy, birth or breastfeeding when the mother is not on treatment.
You cannot get HIV from
- Saliva, tears or sweat
- Kissing: closed-mouth kissing carries no risk. Open-mouth kissing is only a theoretical risk if both people have bleeding gums or open sores, and this is extremely rare.
- Hugging, shaking hands or touching
- Toilet seats, door handles, towels or bedding
- Sharing cups, cutlery, food or drinks
- Mosquitoes, ticks or other insects
- Swimming pools, saunas or showers
- Coughing, sneezing or breathing the same air
- Sex with a partner who has an undetectable viral load: people with HIV who take treatment and keep an undetectable viral load do not transmit HIV through sex (U=U).
Situations people often worry about
Touching semen or blood with your hands
Intact skin is an effective barrier. Fluid on unbroken skin, including your hands, does not transmit HIV. Wash with soap and water.
A splash in the eye or on a fresh cut
Blood reaching the eyes, mouth or an open wound from someone with HIV carries a small risk, about 0.09% per exposure. Rinse well with water and, if the source may have HIV, ask a doctor about PEP within 72 hours.
A needle found in public
The risk of HIV from a discarded needle is very low, because the virus does not survive long outside the body. Still, see a doctor promptly: they can assess the injury and also consider hepatitis B and C.
Tattoos and piercings
There is only a risk if equipment or ink is reused without sterilisation. Licensed studios use single-use needles.