### Living with HIV: Understanding Transmission and Prevention
With over 1.2 million Americans aged 13 and older living with HIV, the epidemic continues to be a significant health issue that impacts millions globally. Due to its highly contagious nature, the number of HIV-positive individuals increases each year.
Despite various awareness campaigns, confusion persists about how HIV spreads. This article will delve into the common and less common transmission methods.
### How Does HIV Spread?
The primary means of HIV transmission are through sexual intercourse (anal or vaginal) and sharing needles. Individuals who are HIV-negative can contract the virus when exposed to contaminated blood, vaginal fluids, breast milk, and semen from an infected person.
Transmission occurs when fluids infected with HIV enter the bloodstream of an HIV-negative person. This often happens through cuts, sores, or the mucous membranes found in the rectum, mouth, vagina, or tip of the penis, as well as through direct needle injections.
### Common Modes of Transmission
Let’s explore the most prevalent ways HIV can be transmitted:
**1. Unprotected Vaginal or Anal Sex with an HIV-Positive Person:** Having unprotected sex (without condoms or other contraceptives) poses the highest risk of contracting HIV. Anal sex, in particular, has a higher risk for HIV transmission compared to vaginal sex.
**2. Sharing Drug Equipment Such as Needles and Syringes:** Reusing or sharing needles and syringes contaminated with HIV-positive blood significantly increases the risk. Using such needles allows the virus to enter directly into the bloodstream.
### Less Common Modes of Transmission
Although rarer, several other methods of HIV transmission include:
**1. Mother-to-Baby Transmission During Pregnancy:** While instances of mother-to-baby HIV transmission exist, preventive HIV medications have greatly reduced these cases. In the U.S., medical advancements have substantially decreased the virus’s transmission from mother to child during pregnancy, birth, or breastfeeding.
**2. Needle Stick or Sharp Injury Exposure:** This risk particularly affects healthcare workers, although the chance of transmitting HIV this way is very low.
### [HIV Drugs](https://bridgecanhealth.com/hiv/)
Taking prescribed HIV medication can enable individuals to live long, healthy lives while reducing the risk of transmission to sexual partners. One crucial medication for prevention is PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis).
PrEP involves collaborating with a healthcare provider to develop a specific medication plan that prevents HIV. Clinical studies have demonstrated that PrEP is 99% effective in reducing HIV transmission. The FDA has approved three main medications for PrEP: Truvada, Descovy, and Apretude.
– **Truvada (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate 300 mg/emtricitabine 200 mg)**
– Preferred for daily or on-demand oral dosing.
– **Descovy (tenofovir alafenamide 25 mg/emtricitabine 200 mg)**
– Approved for daily dosing in cisgender men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women.
– **Apretude (long-acting injectable cabotegravir 600 mg)**
– Preferred for HIV prevention, though not typically used during pregnancy.
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