Question:

Hello,
Our son was diagnosed with HIV and my wife and I have the following questions:

1) If a person with HIV dips his chip in the same dip as another person while snacking, does the other person have a chance of contracting the virus?

2) If a person with HIV drinks from the same cup or glass as someone else, does the other person have a chance of contracting the virus?

3) If a person has a cut in his foot and steps in water with urine or sperm from an infected person, does the person have a chance of contracting the virus?

4) Can a person get HIV from saliva? How?

Thanks much.

Answer provided by Daniel H. Bowers, M.D.:

HIV cannot be spread by sharing food as in: "want a lick of my ice cream cone". Or by offering someone a sample of a great dish at a restaurant by passing a forkful over to a friend or letting someone try a sip of a great cabernet. Dishes and sheet do not need to be washed differently or separately. When the family gathers for Thanksgiving, behavior does not have to change.

Urine and feces do not transmit HIV unless they are visibly contaminated with blood - it is the blood that has the HIV not the urine or feces.

Semen of course can transmit HIV, but it needs to come into contact with the blood system or with a mucus membrane like a mouth, rectum, or vagina. Semen does not transmit HIV through intact skin. Small cuts and scrapes that are not fresh or still actively bleeding should not provide the direct access to the blood stream that HIV needs to infect. Dry or scabbed cuts should not provide a portal for infection. Still, any exposure to semen or blood tainted body fluids should be cleaned immediately with soap and water.

HIV can be found in saliva. However, it is often in only small amounts. Salivary enzymes are also thought to slightly deactivate HIV. Therefore saliva is an inefficient way to transmit HIV. Casual social kissing is perfectly safe. Deep kissing is a theoretical risk and the CDC advises against. But there has been only one case of HIV transmission by kissing documented. And it involved actively bleeding gums and recent dental surgery.

Household transmission of HIV is very very rare and has mostly involved daily caretakers who have frequent contact with body fluids, especially those contaminated with blood. HIV dries and dies within a couple hours on household surfaces. Surfaces contaminated with blood containing body fluids can be cleaned with a 1:10 bleach solution. Gloves should be worn.

Also, remember that HIV is now a long-term manageable disease. Big plans and great dreams and even starting a family can still be part of your son's future.

Editors Note:

Here are some aditional on-line resources:

CDC - HIV Bascis: http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/basic/

San Francisco AIDS Foundation: http://www.sfaf.org/aids101

AIDS InfoNet: http://www.aidsinfonet.org/categories/

How to Emotionally Support Someone With HIV: http://www.everydayhealth.com/hiv-aids/how-to-emotionally-support-someone-with-hiv.aspx

Portraits of a Global Community Combating Stigma: www.infectedandaffected.com/

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