A person of any age, sex, race, ethnic group, religion, economic background, or sexual orientation can get HIV.
Those who are most at risk are:
• people who have “unprotected sex” with someone
A person of any
who has HIV. Unprotected sex means vaginal, anal,
age, sex, race,
or oral sex without using a condom.
ethnic group,
• people who share needles, syringes, or other
equipment to inject drugs, steroids, or even vitamins religion, economic
or medicine with someone who has HIV. background, or
• Babies can potentially become infected during their sexual orientation
mothers’ pregnancy, during delivery, or after birth
can get HIV.
in the immediate post-partum period. They can also
become infected through breastfeeding.
• Health care and maintenance workers who may be exposed to blood and/or
body fluids at work sometimes get infected through on-the-job exposures like needle-stick injuries.
Before 1985, some people were infected through blood transfusions or the use of blood products. In May 1985, the United States began screening all blood
products for HIV, so the risk of getting HIV from a blood transfusion today is now very low.
You can only get HIV if infected blood, semen, vaginal fluids, or breast milk gets
into your body.
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