HIV is not passed on easily from one person to another, especially compared to other viruses. That's because the HIV virus is present in body fluids. So for HIV to be passed on, the body fluids of someone who is already infected have to get into an uninfected person's body and then into their bloodstream.

Main sources of infection

The body fluids that contain enough HIV to infect someone are:

• seminal fluid
• vaginal fluids, including menstrual fluids
• breast milk
• blood
• the mucous found in the rectum
• pre-cum (the fluid that the penis produces for lubrication before ejaculation)

Other body fluids, like saliva, sweat or urine, do not contain enough of the HIV virus to infect another person.

So the main ways that HIV can be transmitted are:

• through sexual intercourse and other sexual activities
• from mother to baby
• from blood to blood.

Misconceptions about infection

You can't get infected with HIV through normal social contact or through many other actions thought by some people to be risky. You can find out what does not pass on HIV elsewhere on this website.