Some Facts About AIDS and HIV * Reproduced by the National AIDS Programme, Ministry of Health, Belize with permission from CAREC.
Transmission of HIV
Where can HIV be found? Which body fluids contain HIV?
HIV is present in infectious quantities in:
- Blood and blood products
- Semen and possible pre-cum (pre-ejaculate)
- Vaginal and cervical secretions
- Breast milk
During invasive surgical procedures, health care workers may also come into contact with the following body fluids, which contain significant amounts fo HIV:
- Amniotic fluid
- Cerebospinal fluid
- Synovial fluid around bone joints
In HIV+ persons, HIV is either not present or present in very minute amounts in:
- Saliva (only found in minute amounts in a small number of people)
- Tears and Blister fluid
- Urine, Faeces, Vomit or Sweat
Note: Finding a small amount of HIV in a body fluid does not necessarily mean that HIV can be transmitted by that body fluid. Contact with saliva, tears or sweat has never been shown to result in transmission of HIV.
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