AIDS, or acquired immune deficiency syndrome, is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus or HIV. AIDS is the latter stage of the disease when your immune system has been broken down significantly and you get sick with a variety of diseases and infections you would be immune to if your system was working properly. There are many more survivors of HIV infection and AIDS than in the past because of the current treatments available. There is no cure, however.
Sexual Contact
The most well-known way to contract HIV and AIDS is through sexual contact with someone who already has the infection. Since the virus is carried in both vaginal fluid and semen, it can be transmitted from a woman to a man, man to a women or in same-sex contact. The Mayo Clinic states that the virus can travel through small fissures in the skin during oral, anal or vaginal sex. Infected bodily fluid must be transmitted in order for the disease to infect you, so prophylactic devices such as condoms can help stop transmission. They are not 100 percent effective, however, because tears may occur or there may be spillage. People who already are infected with some other form of sexually transmitted disease are at greater risk of contracting HIV from an infected partner, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Shared and Accidental Needle Sticks
HIV/AIDS also is a threat to intravenous drug users---such as heroin addicts---who share needles with people who have the viral infection. Some organizations have set up needle exchange programs to help reduce the risk for IV drug users. Not sharing needles is the most effective way to prevent infection this way. Accidental needle sticks in health-care facilities do not happen often, but they can be dangerous if the needle has been used on someone infected with HIV.
Blood Transfusions
Although screening programs and procedures have been put in place over the years since AIDS first was detected, it still is possible for infected blood to slip through during blood donations. Before the screening procedures were in place, this type of transmission of the infection was more frequent.
Birth
When a mother is infected with HIV/AIDS, she may pass it on to her unborn child. According to the Mayo Clinic, more than half a million babies get HIV infection from their mothers each year. It can occur during pregnancy, at the time of delivery or via breastfeeding. If the mother gets treatment for the disease while she is pregnant, this risk for the child is reduced.
