Human Immunodeficiency Virus Transmission

What is human immunodeficiency virus?

Human immunodeficiency virus is also called HIV. Your immune system protects your body from infection. HIV weakens part of your immune system by damaging the T-helper cells (also called CD4+ cells). T-cells are a type of white blood cell that help your body fight certain kinds of infections. HIV also may increase your risk for certain types of cancers. These infections and cancers are what make people with HIV sick. In some people, the infections and cancers may be life-threatening. Once you are infected with HIV, you will be infected for life.

How is HIV spread from person to person?

The following are ways that HIV may be spread:

• Contact with blood and certain body fluids (sperm, vaginal fluids, and breast milk)
  
  
• Sex with someone who has HIV, especially if you do not use a latex condom
  
  
• Injecting drugs with used equipment
  
  
• Infected mother to her baby before or during birth or through breastfeeding

What are the signs and symptoms of HIV infection?

You may have HIV in your body for some time and not know it. You may have one or more of the following signs and symptoms:

• Changes in your ability to think
  
  
• Changes in your coordination (the way muscles work together)
  
  
• Diarrhea and weight loss
  
  
• Fever and night sweats
  
  
• Joint pain
  
  
• Skin rashes and mouth, throat, vagina, or rectum sores
  
  
• Swollen glands in your neck, jaw, armpit, or groin
  
  
• Repeated uncommon infections

What is not true about how HIV is spread?

There are many false beliefs about how HIV may be spread from person to person. The following are the ways HIV is not spread:

• Contact with toilet seats, clothes, or sheets
  
  
• Mosquito or other insect bites
  
  
• Sharing food, plates, cups, or silverware
  
  
• Skin contact with a person who has HIV
  
  
• Sneezing or coughing
  
  
• Swimming in public pools

How can I decrease my risk for getting HIV?

• Avoid having sex unless it is with a partner who does not have HIV or AIDS. Ask your partner if he or she is HIV-positive before you have sex.
  
  
• Use a latex condom correctly every time you have sex. Women may use latex female condoms when a male condom cannot be used.
  
  
• Do not use injectable illegal drugs. If you cannot stop using injectable drugs, ask your caregiver for help. Never share needles or use ones that have been used before.
  
  
• Do not touch other people's sores, cuts, blood, or body fluids without using gloves.
  
  
• Have body piercing, tattoos, or acupuncture done only by a qualified caregiver.
  
  
• Seek care immediately if you think you may have been exposed to HIV. Drug treatments are available after exposure to HIV. These treatments are not available to everyone, and they may not stop you from getting HIV. The treatment lasts a long time and has health risks.

What are the risks of HIV?

Medicines or other treatments for HIV may cause serious side effects, such as liver disease. If you are taking several different medicines, they may not work well together. This may make you very sick. If you are HIV-positive, your treatments may not stop you from getting acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). To get AIDS, you must be infected with HIV and have a weakened immune system. Not all AIDS-related infections and cancers can be stopped, even with treatment. If your infections or cancers are not treated, they may spread, and you could die.

How can I prevent the spread of HIV to others?

If you are HIV-positive, do the following:

• Tell all caregivers, such as your doctor and dentist, that you are HIV-positive.
  
  
• Tell your sex or needle-sharing partners that you are HIV-positive.
  
  
• Use a latex condom correctly each time you have vaginal, anal, or oral sex to decrease the risk of spreading HIV. Ask your caregiver for more information about how to use condoms the right way.
  
  
• Do not donate (give) sperm, organs, or body tissue.
  
  
• Do not risk getting your body fluids near the mouth, eyes, anus, or open skin cuts of others.
  
  
• Do not share sex toys.
  
  
• Do not have oral sex without using a condom or latex barrier. Do not lick your partner's anal area. Other diseases also may be spread by doing these things.
  
  
• Do not donate blood or blood products.
  
  
• Do not share needles or other equipment if you use injectable drugs.
  
  
• Do not share razors, toothbrushes, tweezers, or other objects. They may cut the skin and cause others to come into contact with blood.
  
  
• Do not pierce your ears, navel, or any other place on your body. Piercing can cause bleeding, which may spread HIV.

Where can I find more information?

• AIDS Health Project
  1930 Market St.
  San Francisco , CA 94102
  Phone: 1- 415 - 476-3902
  Web Address: http://www.ucsf-ahp.org
  

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  1600 Clifton Road
  Atlanta , GA 30333
  Phone: 1- 800 - 232-4636
  Web Address: http://www.cdc.gov
  

When should I contact my caregiver?

Contact your caregiver if:

• You have a fever.
  
  
• You have chills or night sweats.
  
  
• You have sore or large lymph nodes in your neck, jaw, armpit, or groin.
  
  
• You feel tired, and it does not go away.
  
  
• You have diarrhea that does not get better.
  
  
• You have lost more than 10 pounds in a short period of time.
  
  
• Your skin is bleeding or bruising.
  
  
• You have white spots or sores in your mouth, throat, vagina, or rectum.
  
  
• You have a cough, shortness of breath, or chest tightness.
  
  
• You notice changes in your menstrual cycle or flow.
  
  
• Your skin is itchy, swollen, or has a rash. Your medicine may be causing these symptoms. This may mean you are allergic to your medicine.
  
  
• You have other body changes that worry you.
  
  
• You have questions or concerns about your illness, medicine, or treatment.

When should I seek immediate help?

Seek care immediately or call 911 if:

• You cannot think clearly.
  
  
• You have a severe headache.
  
  
• You have a stiff neck.
  
  
• You have problems seeing.
  
  
• You have problems with balance, walking, or speech.
  
  
• You have weakness in an arm or leg.
  
  
• You are too short of breath to move.
  
  
• You have chest pain.
  
  
• You are so weak that you cannot stand up.
  
  
• You are unable to drink liquids.
  
  
• You are so depressed you feel you cannot cope any longer.

Care Agreement

You have the right to help plan your care. Learn about your health condition and how it may be treated. Discuss treatment options with your caregivers to decide what care you want to receive. You always have the right to refuse treatment.

Copyright © 2012. Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved. Information is for End User's use only and may not be sold, redistributed or otherwise used for commercial purposes.

The above information is an educational aid only. It is not intended as medical advice for individual conditions or treatments. Talk to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist before following any medical regimen to see if it is safe and effective for you.