Urban myths abound regarding the causes of HIV and AIDS. Many are living nearly as long lives with earlier detection and treatment. However, a cure has not been found for HIV. AIDS remains deadly because HIV destroys the immune system over time. HIV can infect anyone, regardless of sexual orientation. Roughly 25 percent of people don't know they have HIV, so new infections will continue, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Unprotected Sex
Run your tongue along the inside of your cheek and you'll notice that the lining of your mouth feels soft, even delicate. You're feeling the cells that line your mucous membranes. Through these moist openings, HIV is able to enter the body during unprotected sex. Anal and vaginal sex continue to be the most prevalent ways HIV is spread, although it can also happen in oral sex. Without barriers such as latex and polyurethane condoms, infected genital fluids or blood can spread the virus, cdc.gov says.
Drug Abuse
Drug abuse, including alcohol, plays a key role in the persistence of new HIV infections. Nineteen percent of people living with HIV shared drug tools, such as needles. However, because getting high, or even drunk, can impair judgment and increase sexual risk taking, drug abuse indirectly drives up HIV transmission by increasing the chance someone will have sex without protection such as a latex or polyurethane condom, cdc.gov says.
Mother-to-Baby
Thanks to highly effective drug combinations used during prenatal care and delivery, there has been a dramatic decrease in mother-to-baby transmission. New recommendations incorporating HIV antibody testing into routine prenatal care now help new mothers know their status before the baby may have acquired the virus, particularly before delivery, the CDC says.
Workplace Accidents
Accidents with lab workers handling HIV-infected samples lead the few workplace-related transmissions of HIV. Medical and safety workers are at risk of accidental needle sticks and exposure to infected bodily fluids to mucous membranes such as the eyes and mouth. Timely prophylaxis treatment is now routinely offered in hopes of preventing conversion to an HIV positive status, the CDC says.
Open Cuts or Sores
HIV can be transmitted through open cuts or sores and by directly infecting cells in the mucous membranes. Transmission can come via the mouth, eyes, penis and vagina, and in the anus and rectum. However, HIV can't cross healthy, unbroken skin.
