The transfer
Transmission occurs via body fluids of an infected person in direct contact with their own. However, this requires a high concentration of the virus. This applies to blood, semen, vaginal and brain fluid.
This explains the main transmission routes. HIV is transmitted through both homosexual and heterosexual sexual intercourse. Especially the direct contact of infected material with blood is dangerous.
Here, small, barely visible injuries to the skin or mucous membranes are sufficient. In addition, contaminated blood donations can lead to transmission. Drug addicts are also at risk, who can become infected, for example, by sharing syringes.
The virus can also be passed on from an infected mother to her child during the birth process or during subsequent breastfeeding (see below). The HI virus cannot be transmitted by saliva. Transmission occurs through contaminated blood or through sexual intercourse.
The likelihood of HIV being transmitted through oral sex is very low because a high amount of secretion containing HIV must be ingested. Usually the oral mucosa is very stable, so that no infection occurs in this way. This question can be answered with a clear no.
HIV cannot be transmitted through saliva.The virus is found only in the blood or in body fluids, such as seminal fluid. Consequently, it can only be transmitted through infected blood products or through sexual intercourse. Infected blood products can be transfusions or infected cutlery for taking blood.
Drug users in particular are affected by the use of infected cutlery. In addition, HIV can be transmitted from mother to child during the birth process or while breastfeeding. Apart from these risk factors, no other transmission routes are known.
Kissing is therefore not dangerous. A conductor is a carrier. There are various known conductors that can trigger HIV infection.
These include infected blood products, such as needles to draw blood. Especially drug users use these needles and get infected with HIV. For this reason sterile needles should always be used.
If you generally work a lot with blood, it is advisable to wear gloves, as blood can also cause other infections. Besides infected blood products, humans can also be a conductor. The HIV disease can spread in the body and is mainly found in the blood, sperm and vaginal secretions of humans.
For this reason it is very important to follow hygienic measures and not to have unprotected sexual intercourse. If these points are observed, the risk can be significantly reduced. Although it is a service paid for by the health insurance company, the HIV test is not carried out during pregnancy for many women.
But an existing, possibly not yet symptomatic HIV infection of the mother can be transmitted to newborns. The overall probability of transmission is about 20%. The virus can be transmitted both through the actual birth process and through subsequent breastfeeding.
HIV-positive mothers are therefore advised to refrain from breastfeeding. In addition, if the test is positive, measures are taken before or during pregnancy to minimize the risk of infection for the newborn. For example, the birth should be carried out by caesarean section, as this can prevent contact between the blood of the child and the mother.
Thanks to the barrier of the placenta, the unborn child is normally not yet infected. Therefore, invasive examinations such as amniocentesis should not be performed. Mother and newborn should also receive antiretroviral therapy (see below). Contrary to public opinion, HIV-positive women and men who wish to have children have safe options for pregnancy without simultaneous infection of the partner. This includes, for example, artificial insemination of positively tested women.
