HIV transmission - protecting yourself and your partner

Protecting yourself against HIV transmission is surprisingly simple. Although HIV is an extremely serious disease, as a virus it is actually not particularly resilient. It cannot survive for long periods outside the body, which means that the only way it can be spread is through direct contact with bodily fluids such as blood, semen and vaginal fluid.

Minimising the risk of HIV transmission is simply a case of avoiding contact with these fluids. You can do this by not sharing needles with an infected person and wearing prophylactics during sex. Many people with HIV continue to have a long and loving relationship with their uninfected partner for many years just by taking these simple precautions.