Healthy New Jersey

HIV Services

Transmission

Key Points
  • Most people will acquire it through anal or vaginal sex, or sharing needles, syringes, or other drug injection equipment.
  • Only certain body fluids can transmit HIV: blood, semen (cum), pre-seminal fluid (pre-cum), rectal fluids, vaginal fluids, and breast milk.

How HIV is spread

Most people will acquire it through anal or vaginal sex, or sharing needles, syringes, or other drug injection equipment.

Only certain body fluids can transmit HIV. These fluids include:

  • blood,
  • semen (cum),
  • pre-seminal fluid (pre-cum),
  • rectal fluids,
  • vaginal fluids, and
  • breast milk.

These fluids must come in contact with a mucous membrane or damaged tissue or be directly injected into the bloodstream (from a needle or syringe) for transmission to occur.  Factors like a person's viral load, other sexually transmitted infections, and alcohol or drug use can increase the chances of getting or transmitting HIV.  You can get HIV if you have anal or vaginal sex with someone who has HIV without using protection (like condoms or medicine to prevent HIV). You can also get HIV from sharing needles, syringes, or other drug injection equipment (for example, cookers) with someone who has HIV. Pregnant people can pass HIV to their baby during pregnancy, childbirth, and breast/chestfeeding.

Anal sex

  • Either partner can get HIV during anal sex.
  • Being the bottom or having your partner's penis inside your rectum (butthole) makes you more likely to get HIV than being the top or putting your penis inside your partner's rectum.
  • HIV can enter the body through the lining of the rectum (butthole), the opening at the tip of the penis (urethra), the foreskin, or cuts or sores on the penis.

Vaginal sex

  • Either partner can get HIV during vaginal sex.
  • HIV can enter a person's body through the tissue that lines the vagina and cervix.
  • Vaginal fluid and blood can pass through the opening at the tip of the penis (urethra), the foreskin, or cuts or sores.

Perinatal transmission

  • HIV can pass to a baby during pregnancy, childbirth, and breast/chestfeeding.  This is called perinatal transmission.
  • This is the most common way that children get HIV.

Injection drug use

  • Used needles, syringes, and other injection equipment may have someone else's blood in them.
  • People who inject drugs may be more likely to engage in sexual behaviors that increase their chances of getting HIV.

Useful Resources

Visit CDC's HIV Risk Reduction Tool to learn more about the chance of getting HIV from different sex activities.

How HIV is not spread

HIV is not spread by:

  • Air or water
  • Mosquitoes, ticks, or other insects
  • Saliva, tears, sweat, feces, or urine that is not mixed with the blood of a person with HIV
  • Shaking hands; hugging; sharing toilets; sharing dishes, silverware, or drinking glasses; or engaging in closed-mouth or “social” kissing with a person with HIV
  • Drinking fountains
  • Other sexual activities that don’t involve the exchange of body fluids (for example, touching)
  • Donating blood

HIV can’t be passed through healthy, unbroken skin. You can't get or transmit HIV from activities that don't involve contact with body fluids (e.g., touching). HIV does not survive long outside the human body (for example, on surfaces) and cannot reproduce outside a human host.

Useful CDC Resources

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Risk Factors

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