Despite effective prevention and treatment for HIV being around for decades, myths and stigma around HIV transmission persist. We want you to feel confident and knowledgeable about HIV, so we’ve taken the most-searched-for questions around transmission and answered them for you!
It is not possible to get HIV from…
You can’t get HIV from kissing or from spit – including sharing a vape, cigarette, toothbrush, glass, cutlery, food, drink, straw, etc…
Saliva (spit) doesn’t contain enough HIV to put someone at risk of infection. This means you can’t get HIV from sharing an object that’s been in another person’s mouth, or by kissing them.
You can’t get HIV from someone on effective treatment
HIV treatments reduce viral load in people living with HIV to a level where the virus is not affecting their health and it can’t be transmitted to another person. That’s what we mean by Undetectable = Untransmittable.
Most people who start HIV treatment reach an undetectable viral load within 1-3 months, and almost everyone does so within 6 months. Their HIV treatment team will let them know when they’re undetectable, at which point they cannot transmit HIV, as long as they keep taking their medication as prescribed.
You can’t get HIV from someone on PrEP
HIV PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis, is a medication people can take to reduce their risk of getting HIV before exposure. HIV PrEP is nearly 100% effective if taken correctly, and most people on HIV PrEP are regularly testing for HIV, making transmission very unlikely. Learn more about PrEP and where you can get it for free.
Note – HIV PrEP and PEP are different. PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) is a 28-day course of medications taken after exposure to HIV to prevent infection from occurring. If someone is on PEP or has recently finished a course of PEP, we recommend using other forms of prevention until they receive a negative HIV test. We also recommend considering using HIV PrEP going forward.
You can’t get HIV from a tattoo or piercing from a reputable artist
Licenced tattoo and piercing artists in the U.K. are required to follow special precautions to prevent the transmission of blood borne viruses such as HIV and hepatitis.
That’s why it’s important to always use a reputable, licensed artist. Unsafe tattooing and piercing practices could potentially put you at risk when someone reuses needles or carries out a tattoo or piercing in unsanitary conditions.
You can’t get HIV from shaving, a haircut, or getting your nails done
Barber clippers, razors and nail tools can spread some types of infections when they’re used on multiple people, but HIV cannot be spread this way. This is because the clipper or nail tool would need to pick up one person’s blood, and then immediately be used on someone else and come into direct contact with their bloodstream. HIV transmission is therefore not realistically possible.
You can’t get HIV from the dentist
Dentists in the UK follow strict protocols to sanitise tools between each patient, so you can’t get HIV from getting your teeth cleaned or having work done.
However, you should note that visiting the dentist or hygienist for a clean or dental work often leaves people with small wounds in their mouth or gums, the same as brushing your teeth or flossing. These could serve as an entry point for HIV into the bloodstream or be a source of infection if blood from someone’s mouth gets into someone else’s body. It is still very unlikely that you could contract HIV this way but should be taken into consideration when you’re taking part in oral sex. See our article on possible routes of HIV transmission for more.
You can’t get HIV from a toilet, jacuzzi, hot tub, sauna, shower, bath, swimming pool, or from touching surfaces (like doorknobs, money or phones).
HIV is very fragile: it can’t live on surfaces or in water. It can only enter your body through an open wound or mucous membrane (your mouth, parts of your genitals, or inside the anus). It cannot penetrate unbroken skin.
You can’t get HIV from mouth-to-mouth resuscitation
HIV can’t spread through saliva (see: Can I get HIV from spit?).
If someone has blood in their mouth, then mouth-to-mouth resuscitation is not advised as this can spread infections, including HIV. CPR without mouth-to-mouth breathing is very safe, as HIV cannot spread through the air: it’s only present in certain bodily fluids.
You can’t get HIV from urine (pee / piss) or faeces (poo / scat)
Urine and faeces from a person with a detectable viral load cannot transmit HIV to another person as they do not contain enough of the virus
You can’t get HIV from an insect or animal
HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus – animals and insects can’t get it or spread it.
HIV belongs to a family of viruses called Lentivirus. There are other viruses in this family that act similarly to HIV and can be found in primates, farm animals, cats and other mammals, but can’t infect humans.
You can’t get HIV from a blood transfusion
Since 1985, all blood donations are screened for HIV (and other infections, such as syphilis and hepatitis). Blood transfusions are very safe.
You can’t get HIV from donating blood or getting a blood test
In the UK, blood tests and donations are collected through single-use sterile needles, which pose no risk.
You can’t get HIV by coming into contact with a discarded needle
HIV cannot survive for long outside the human body. If you prick yourself on a discarded needle, even if it was used by someone living with HIV, there would have to be fresh blood on it for it to pose any risk of HIV transmission. There is a risk of contracting other infections though, so make sure to see a doctor.
You can’t get HIV by being near, hugging, or shaking hands with someone living with HIV, or from a cough or sneeze
HIV cannot spread through skin contact or via the air.
It is possible, but very very unlikely, to get HIV from…
It is possible, but very very unlikely, to get HIV from a scratch
If a fresh open wound comes into contact with HIV-positive blood, semen, pre-seminal fluid, rectal fluids, vaginal fluids or breast milk, HIV could be transmitted to the person with the open wound. Once a scratch is dry and scabbed over, it becomes almost impossible to spread HIV this way.
If your partner scratches you during sex and draws blood, this cannot spread HIV unless they have bodily fluids on their hands. You can mitigate any risk by washing the wound under some running water (don’t rub or scrub), gently patting the area dry, and covering it with a plaster.
While it is possible to get HIV through a scratch, it’s incredibly unlikely. Covering up any fresh wounds with a plaster is enough of a barrier to prevent HIV from entering the body.
It is possible, but very very unlikely, to get HIV from a bite
If a bite doesn’t break the skin (and there are no bodily fluids on the body part being bitten), then there is no risk of spreading HIV.
If a bite does break the skin, it’s still extremely unlikely, but the riskiest transmission route would be blood from an individual with HIV getting in the other person’s mouth. Saliva doesn’t contain HIV, so HIV can’t be spread the other way around.
It is possible, but very very unlikely, to get HIV from working in a healthcare setting
There are a few recorded incidents of healthcare professionals being exposed to HIV through workplace accidents, but this is extremely rare. Nobody in the UK has acquired HIV in a workplace accident since 1999.
In conclusion…
The vast majority of cases of HIV transmission are through unprotected sex via adults. That’s why it’s so important to know your status, and for your partner(s) to know theirs, and to use one or more of the many free prevention options open to you. Outside of unprotected sex, don’t stress, it’s very very unlikely you could contract HIV.
