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You CAN NOT Get HIV From. . . ?
HIV is a virus that damages human immune cells. It weakens the immune system and, without treatment, leads most infected people to develop AIDS.
Like all viruses, HIV infects the cells of a living organism in order to make new copies of itself. HIV can only be transmitted in certain ways and the purpose of this page is to explain how you can and can’t become infected.
HIV is found in blood and other body fluids such as semen and vaginal fluids. It cannot live for long outside the body, so to be infected with HIV you need to allow some body fluid from an infected person to get inside your body. The virus can enter the body via contact with the bloodstream or by passing through delicate mucous membranes, such as inside the vagina, rectum or urethra.
The most common ways that people become infected with HIV are:
having sexual intercourse with an infected partner.
injecting drugs using a needle or syringe that has been used by someone who is infected.
As a baby of an infected mother, during pregnancy, labour or delivery, or through breastfeeding.
You cannot get HIV from. . .
Kissing
To become infected with HIV you must get a sufficient quantity of the virus into your body. Saliva does contain HIV, but the virus is only present in very small quantities and as such cannot cause HIV infection.
Unless both partners have large open sores in their mouths, or severely bleeding gums, there is no transmission risk from mouth-to-mouth kissing.
Sneezing, coughing, sharing glasses/cups, etc
HIV is unable to reproduce outside its living host, except under strictly controlled laboratory conditions. HIV does not survive well in the open air, and this makes the possibility of this type of environmental transmission remote. In practice no environmental transmission has been recorded.
This means that HIV cannot be transmitted through spitting, sneezing, sharing glasses, cutlery, or musical instruments. You also can’t be infected in swimming pools, showers or by sharing washing facilities or toilet seats.
Insects
Studies conducted by many researchers have shown no evidence of HIV transmission through insect bites, even in areas where there are many cases of HIV and AIDS and large populations of insects such as mosquitoes. Lack of such outbreaks, despite considerable efforts to detect them, supports the conclusion that insects do not transmit HIV.
HIV only lives for a short time and cannot reproduce inside an insect. So, even if the virus enters a mosquito or another sucking or biting insect, the insect does not become infected and cannot transmit HIV to the next human it feeds on or bites.
Injecting drugs with sterile needles
Injecting with a sterile needle and works will not transmit HIV as long as clean equipment is used each time and none of it is shared. However, there are still many other risks associated with injecting drug use. If a person is on drugs (including alcohol) then their judgement may be clouded, making them more likely to become involved in risky sexual behaviour, which increases the chance of exposure to HIV.
AVERT has more information on the risks involved with injecting drugs and HIV.
Protected sex
If used correctly and consistently, condoms are highly effective at preventing HIV transmission. A small minority believe condoms are not adequate protection and that ‘some very small viruses can pass through latex’. Scientific tests have disproved this theory.1
Condoms are effective at preventing HIV during both vaginal and anal sex and can help to reduce the risks during oral sex too. Further information can be found on our condoms page
Posted by
bashi chalwe
January 25, 2012 at 4:19 pm
so basic, who doesnt know?? maybe children an illiterate people… anyway congrats for yo contribution….
Kajinks
January 25, 2012 at 4:31 pm
Tumfweko Please Twapapata, Kuleni Tata!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Munalian
January 25, 2012 at 4:39 pm
AIDS: Action Intended to Destroy Sex
nomy
January 25, 2012 at 4:50 pm
help us wit other stories pliz..yaba
MUNYELO PWETE!
January 25, 2012 at 4:59 pm
IMWE! WE KNOW THESE THINGS PLSE! TALK ABOUT THE CURE AND ANY PROGRESS THAT IS MADE IN CURBING THIS AIDS: ACTION INTENDED TO DESTROY SEX!
UMU D
January 25, 2012 at 5:00 pm
BAFIKALA MULETINA BRASHING THE ARTICLE ASIDE MWAPENA KU MIPANDAPWITI KU ZONE NAKU BREAKPOINT MUKOSE!!!!
NM
January 25, 2012 at 5:49 pm
We humans needs remainderr,good article.
NM
January 25, 2012 at 5:51 pm
We humans needs remainders,good article.
Ms mwine mushi
January 25, 2012 at 6:05 pm
Oh pliz!!yaba
Kaya
January 25, 2012 at 6:56 pm
Utulwele twapontapo…riminder ni zee. Ngamwalilwala kale tulekeni fwebatuntulu tu jobe. Mwaba pamputi
Porn Star
January 25, 2012 at 8:36 pm
The picture rather reminds me of Iris and Nathan bonking each other. The girl certainly seems to like it dark n lovely
matako busy
January 25, 2012 at 9:58 pm
Mwalitumpa imwe who are against this article,fi negative vibe ala imwe.This is a very important and it has to be said again and again for awareness sake.Aba bemba batila,apakomaila nondo ninshi pali ubulema simply meaning for some people to play it safe ad get it in their thick heads that aids is real,they have to be reminded daily by such initiatives.thumbs up tumfweko,we must not shyaway from reality.
BAKAPA
January 25, 2012 at 10:34 pm
Infidelity mufyopo especialy women on family planning they take advantage of not becoming pregnant.Not only thoz married but even singles are using them thinking that they have to satisfy their john to love them more.Okay guys but mwimbwenamo our old fathers ebalecita sana ubucende coz there was no HIV/AIDS by then as its now.our fathers use to produce alot of children outside marriage,so if you try to follow their footsteps nishi wapya nafi HIV/AIDS.So its better to marry and pipping other pipo’s wives&natu ma singles tulaletelela bane.HAA KONKANYENIPO let me sleep!
Uwakwamununga
January 25, 2012 at 10:42 pm
BE CAREFUL BANE HIV/AIDS IS REAL NGAYAKUFIKILA TAIFUMA NATUICINDIKE.
Kandi
January 25, 2012 at 10:43 pm
you’d be shocked at how many people are still very ignorant of these facts or assume they have complete understanding of the virus and think because they had a sex education class in grade 9 they are still fully knowlegable. if these basic things were strongly implanted in our heads we would have curbed the HIv problem in Zambia many years ago, but the virus will soon be prevalent 40 years straight but people are still ignorant and when informed and made aware they criticise the informer.It’s the media we rely on alot of times to understand HIV and other diseases, they do the dirty work of collecting the information, so for them to infom us of the basics means in their research and data gathering they’ve discovered that we are not as knowleagable as we try to appear because we keep dying daily. when something is life threatening you should never say chapwa twaumfwa, because some forget, some misunderstand others haven’t heard others misinform and others die. Just keep spreading and acting on the information given. instead of spreading the virus and rejecting knowlege. your friends in developed nations have controlled the HIv problem but have they stopped spreading the word? No. they never stop discussing it because it can save a life.
KIBWELA KASONGO
January 26, 2012 at 6:50 am
All well said kandi, even when you study you frequently gothrough your notes to revise for perferction or near perfection.
Ladies and gentlemen, to err is human but to repeat the same mistake again and again is something one can only describe with unforgiving words.
The reality is that this pandemic has the capability of wiping out the Zambian population if not faced squarely and with honest. Amongst us are people that will forget to take precautions and those that know their status but will not forewarn their partners, so appreciate the fact that when you hear something repeatedly you will be constantly be alert because it always flashes back when you find yourself in’that’ situation
Chintelelwe
January 26, 2012 at 7:29 am
You can get HIV from the so called protected sex.Condoms can de defective and may burst.Its not very long ago when I read about a South African Bureau Of Standards employee who passed condoms that were failing the freedom from holes tests.These condoms had to be recalled from the market.Imagine how many people had already used them…..At least in Zambia the Bureau of Standards took up the initiative to ensure condoms are tested by setting up a state of the art condom testing laboratory whilst ministry of health and pharmaceutical regulatory society were sleeping.The best way of avoiding HIV is for one to have one faithful partner for married couples and abstinence for single people!May God help us….
Phebby Chiwama SA
January 26, 2012 at 9:20 am
good article, those who are against they’re already HIV positive
East Point na Tall trees Boy
January 26, 2012 at 9:48 am
ya nothing more scary than a rubber bursting,ya ba you are giving from behind enjoying then pwa cha ngambika f%%K,so my point condoms are used at owners risk iliko bad!!!
East Point na Tall trees Boy
January 26, 2012 at 9:51 am
That picture is from Porno I know the guy i ve seen him from my porn stash!!
mwine mushi
January 26, 2012 at 10:24 am
i know,do you..???
MR SILAVWE
January 26, 2012 at 11:17 am
nice article BA tumfweko,this is the right kind of information that is required,people might say that they know all of this info,but are they really using the info correctly?. there is a lot of discrimination against people leaving with HIV/AIDS,the things you have addressed such as sharing the same cup has been a major issue,people have been refusing to share such things with the infected for fear of acquiring HIV/AIDS. personally I feel this article is the step in the right direction,my appeal is that at list you should shed more light on the matter. people can’t say they know all of this when the rate of the disease is going high,then what do they know.
Kantwa
January 26, 2012 at 11:40 am
Thanx
oscar
January 26, 2012 at 11:47 am
“actions speek louder than words”,lets do more than talking.its time to act on HIV infor people.nice article
POLITICAL OBSERVER
January 26, 2012 at 12:25 pm
Ngati unadya live yesterday, go for test mambala iwe
MUJWE
January 26, 2012 at 12:41 pm
What about saliva?in what qty.
Gods favourite Dota
January 26, 2012 at 12:43 pm
Prevention is beta thn cure! all thoz against ths article “SHAME”… ndimwe mubweza ziko pansi… pliz grow up n mind watevr u spit frm ur mouth 4christ sake.
IMITWE SHAMANO
January 26, 2012 at 4:45 pm
Uushumfwa patunono napafingi takomfwe.
yes
January 26, 2012 at 6:04 pm
@imitwe shamano chachine!! i agree. well said miss kandi and all the rest who see the sense in this article. as for the people who are claiming this article is useless you’ll keep burying each other and your relatives until u realise muleumfwa elo muleumfwikisha
Kanye Kanye
January 27, 2012 at 8:45 am
using a condom is as same as abortion, be faithful to ur partners sin is death
Ms X
January 27, 2012 at 2:26 pm
You pipo should be sincere get real AIDS IS REAL they are just trying to remind u and some of u have never even bin tested for HIV and there u busy passing negative comments. Grow up. congrats tumfweko.
booster
January 28, 2012 at 11:24 am
AIDS: Americans Idea to Discourage Sex
dnice
January 29, 2012 at 12:22 am
I am so surprised that someone can even be negative about this article. To me it simply means people are still not sensitised enough. If you are still not keen to listen to the causes and prevention of HIV, then one of the two applies to you:
a: you are already hiv positive and u think its too late for you to listen and put to good use the advise. its not too late though
b: you are just dead ignorant and hey, please listen before its too late my friend.
Enigma
January 29, 2012 at 11:43 am
imwe bafikala who are busy pontaling and sayin this is basic, why do u eat live everyday if you already knw? Kuleni. Tumfweko, keep these reminders coming, let those that have ears listen and those with eyes see. AIDS is real. I rest my case!
Sweet 16
January 31, 2012 at 3:07 pm
Bane, AIDS is REAL. Go to UTH, check out most wards, pipo are dying like ants. I am filled with so much hurt when I see alot of pipo not taking heed, especially those that infect innocent children. Please fellow Zambians let us not die from AIDS. Even when you test postive, learn to live positively. There are free medications in various hospitals countrywide. Kale abantu balefwa nobulwele bwakondoloka. May God help us understand that if we do not behave ourselves, we will continue dying like this. Abaume ulukumbwa nabanamayo ukutemwa prestige nolupiya lekeni please twapapata.
moses
February 24, 2012 at 12:16 pm
keep reminding us!!