Ways You Can Contract HIV and Their Risk

People often ask us which sexual practices have a relatively higher risk of HIV transmission and which have a relatively lower risk. This video discusses the estimated risk of HIV transmission for mother-to-child transmission, needle sharing, and for some common sexual practices including anal sex, vaginal sex, and oral sex on men and women. A person who has contracted HIV is most infectious shortly after they have acquired the virus. For sexual contact, if either or both partners have other sexually transmitted diseases, the risk of HIV transmission will be increased. It’s vital if you’re sexually active to always practice safer sex techniques such as the use of condoms. For more information, visit http://www.GlobalLifeworks.org/ and http://www.AIDSvideos.org/. [Want to help prevent the spread of HIV? Volunteer to translate scripts into other languages! Visit AIDSvideos.org for details.]