How can you get hiv

You can only get HIV by coming into direct contact with certain body fluids from a person with HIV who has a detectable viral load. These fluids are:. For transmission to occur, the HIV in these fluids must get into the bloodstream of an HIV-negative person through a mucous membrane found in the rectum, vagina, mouth, or tip of the penis ; open cuts or sores; or by direct injection.

HIV can only be spread through specific activities. In the United States, the most common ways are:. But it works only as long as the HIV-positive partner gets and keeps an undetectable viral load. Not everyone taking HIV medicine has an undetectable viral load. To stay undetectable, people with HIV must take HIV medicine every day as prescribed and visit their healthcare provider regularly to get a viral load test. Learn more. People with AIDS have such badly damaged immune systems that they get a number of severe illnesses, called opportunistic infections.

Content Source: HIV. Many Federal agencies have developed public awareness and education campaigns to address HIV prevention, treatment, care, and research. Also included is information about campaigns related to the prevention and diagnosis of hepatitis B and C.

El VIH es una amenaza de salud grave para las comunidades latinas, quienes se encuentran en gran desventaja respecto de la incidencia de esta enfermedad en los Estados Unidos.

Want to stay abreast of changes in prevention, care, treatment or research or other public health arenas that affect our collective response to the HIV epidemic? This content does not have an Arabic version. See more conditions. Request Appointment.

Early HIV symptoms: What are they? Products and services. When do early HIV symptoms first appear? Answer From Pritish K. Tosh, M. Thank you for Subscribing Our Housecall e-newsletter will keep you up-to-date on the latest health information. Please try again. Something went wrong on our side, please try again. Show references Symptoms of HIV. Accessed Aug. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sax PE. This section answers some of the most common questions about the risk of HIV transmission for different types of sex, injection drug use, and other activities.

You can also download materials about HIV transmission. Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link. Section Navigation. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate. HIV Transmission.