💉 HIV is transmitted via certain bodily fluids
Above all via blood, semen, drops of semen, vaginal and anal fluids - if they get into mucous membranes or the blood during sex.
🧪 No risk without a virus
Where no HIV is involved (negative test, no contact with infectious fluid), there is no HIV infection.
🛡️ Safer sex greatly reduces your risk of HIV infection
Condoms, PrEP and U=U after a risk provide reliable protection - whether anal, vaginal or oral sex.
💬 Many situations are more relaxed than you think
HIV through kissing, saliva, shared food, hands or toilet seats are not transmitted. Your focus should be on the real risks.
What does HIV transmission mean?
HIV transmission means that the virus passes from one person into the body of another and can become established there. Important:
- HIV is not the same as AIDS.
From HIV infection is spoken immediately after the infection.
Aids infection or Aids transmission are colloquial and usually mean the same thing - namely the transmission of HIV. - Aids only develops when an HIV infection remains untreated for a long time. Today, AIDS can almost always be prevented with treatment.
The decisive factor is therefore contact with certain body fluids and mucous membranes and how well you protect yourself.
How is HIV transmitted? - Transmission routes & risk
HIV can be transmitted primarily via these bodily fluids:
- Blood
- Sperm
- Vaginal and anal fluid
- Breast milk (breastfeeding)
So that a HIV infection infectious fluid:
- on mucous membranes
- or directly into the blood.
Typical situations with relevant HIV risk:
- Anal or vaginal sex without a condom with a person who is HIV-positive and not effectively treated
- Shared injection use during drug consumption
- Very rare transmission from parent to child without medical care
Safe sex with a condom, PrEP or effective HIV therapy lowers your risk of contracting HIV. Risk of HIV infection to very low values.
HIV transmission: Where is there a real risk?
In this table you can see at a glance in which situations HIV transmission is realistic - and where you don't need to worry.
| Situation | HIV risk | Briefly explained |
|---|---|---|
| Anal intercourse | High risk without protection | HIV transmission is particularly likely during anal intercourse without a condom because semen or blood can come into direct contact with the sensitive intestinal mucosa. |
| Vaginal intercourse | Significant risk without protection | HIV infection can also occur during vaginal intercourse through seminal fluid or blood on the mucous membrane if no condom, no PrEP or no effective therapy is available. |
| Oral sex | Mostly low risk | Oral sex poses a particular risk if semen or blood enters the mouth and wounds or inflammation are present. Oral sex without ejaculation in the mouth is considered a low risk. |
| Sperm | High risk | HIV through semen is one of the most common forms of transmission because seminal fluid can contain high levels of the virus and can easily get onto mucous membranes during sex. |
| Pleasure drops | Lower, but not zero | The so-called lust drop can also contain viral components. The risk of HIV being transmitted via lubricant drops is significantly lower than via semen, but still exists during unprotected anal or vaginal sex. |
| Saliva | No risk | Saliva strongly dilutes the virus, which is why HIV transmission via saliva is considered impossible in everyday life as long as no clearly visible blood is involved. |
| Kissing | No risk | HIV is not transmitted through kissing, even with the tongue. |
| Petting | No risk | Petting, mutual masturbation and rubbing against each other without penetration hardly lead to HIV transmission as long as there is no blood from fresh wounds. |
| Drug use with shared injection equipment | Very high risk | When sharing syringes, needles or other injection equipment, infectious blood can pass directly from one person to the next and thus easily lead to HIV infection. |
FAQ - frequently asked questions about HIV transmission
HIV transmission mainly occurs via blood, semen, seminal fluid, vaginal and anal fluids if they come into contact with mucous membranes or directly into the blood. Typical situations are anal or vaginal intercourse without protection with a person who is HIV-positive and not effectively treated, as well as shared injection use when taking drugs.
HIV is always transmitted, not AIDS. HIV infection is the infection with the virus; we only speak of AIDS when the immune system is severely weakened by untreated HIV. Terms such as AIDS transmission or AIDS infection are colloquial and actually refer to HIV transmission.
The risk of HIV during oral sex is usually low, but not completely eliminated. HIV through oral sex is particularly relevant if semen or blood enters the mouth and there are wounds or inflammations. Oral sex without ejaculation in the mouth is considered a low risk.
HIV through kissing, even with the tongue, is not a realistic transmission route in everyday life. Saliva greatly dilutes the virus, so HIV transmission via saliva is practically impossible as long as there is no clearly visible blood in the mouth. Kissing, hugging or sharing dishes are not among the situations with a relevant HIV risk.
HIV through semen is one of the most important routes of HIV transmission because seminal fluid often contains high levels of the virus. During anal or vaginal intercourse without a condom, semen can come into direct contact with sensitive mucous membranes and thus trigger HIV infection. This HIV risk can be greatly reduced with a condom, PrEP or U=U.
More about HIV
- HIV and oral sex?
- Research
- Treatment & Therapy
- HIV self-test
- Positive. What now?
- HIV test
- HIV symptoms & progression
- HIV transmission
Blog posts about HIV and Aids
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Materials to inform and share
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