How HIV is Transmitted
HIV is transmitted when bodily fluids are shared between an infected individual and another person who does not have the human immunodeficiency virus. There are other ways HIV can be transmitted, and we’ll get to those here. But unprotected sex is the riskiest type of behavior when it comes to HIV and AIDS and you’ll be told the same thing that everyone else will tell you. That it’s so easy and so inexpensive to use a barrier contraceptive method like a condom. They’re inexpensive, and you can get one at any convenience store if your local Walgreen’s or a similar drugstore is closed. Understanding how HIV is transmitted is important.
And along with that it’s also important to keep yourself if you’re not in a committed, exclusive relationship where the only person you’re intimate with for the long foreseeable future is your partner. Everyone can relate to how that’s not the way it works when you’re in your youth, and truth be told that amorousness is the way it should be. But be safe is all we’re saying. Your Helper-T cells are essential to your immune system’s ability to fight off infections, and when you’ve got HIV, those cells become decimated.
Having HIV does mean the welcome mat is being rolled out for infections that aren’t going to face much of a fight from your immune system. So, understanding how HIV is transmitted is a real need so that people can make smarter choices to make sure they don’t become exposed to the virus. Because once you are exposed, acquiring HIV is a done deal. However, HIV doesn’t always develop into AIDS. Starting on a medication like Atripla may suppress the virus enough so that it doesn’t develop into ‘full-blown’ AIDS, as the expression goes.
Other Risk Factors
That’s another piece of information connected to how HIV is caused and what it may or may become in the bigger picture of how the person’s health is going to be affected. ART (antiretroviral) therapy is the primary means that doctors use to help a person keep HIV from becoming AIDS. And fortunately, it works really well. You can read more on that if you’d like to know more, but here we need to continue with how HIV is transmitted.
And specifically with other risk factors. Not to preach, but doing drugs is rarely if ever a good idea. And when it comes to some drugs you should just avoid them entirely. That extends to narcotics that you need to inject, but if you are going to do that then sharing needles is another very common way that HIV is transmitted. Basically, taking anything that might have even the slightest bit of another person’s blood on it and then exposing your own blood to it creates that real risk. HIV meds may be needed after that exposure.
In rarer instances it is possible to also transmit HIV through oral exposure to open sores or bodily fluids made available by organs. You could also get it from a tattoo if the needle has been used on an HIV-positive person before you. Long story short around how HIV is transmitted is just be very cautious about being exposed to bodily fluids or blood.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The above information is intended to increase awareness of health information and does not suggest treatment or diagnosis. This information is not a substitute for individual medical attention and should not be construed to indicate that use of the drug is safe, appropriate, or effective for you. See your health care professional for medical advice and treatment.
