HIV/AIDS Information
HIV Transmission
HIV doesn't discriminate. Anyone can become infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. It's not who you are...but what you do that puts you at risk for getting HIV.
HIV is spread through the exchange of bodily fluids with an infected person.
HIV may be passed through:
- Blood
- Vaginal fluid
- Semen
- Breast milk (few cases reported)
HIV may be contracted by:
- Having sex with an infected person
- Sharing needles and syringes with an infected person.
In some cases, a mother who is infected with HIV may transmit the virus to her infant during pregnancy, birth, or by breast feeding.
Information on how to prevent HIV transmission:
- NIAID Fact Sheet - HIV Infection and AIDS: An Overview
- HIV/AIDS Research at NIH
AIDS Information
As of the end of 2006, an estimated 39.5 million (34.1-47.1 million) people around the world were living with HIV/AIDS, including the 4.3 million (3.6-6.6 million) people who acquired HIV in 2006. The epidemic claimed an estimated 2.9 million (2.5-3.5 million) lives in 2006. Two-thirds of all people living with HIV are in Sub-Saharan Africa as are 75% of all women with HIV.
Source: UNAIDS/WHO AIDS Epidemic Update: December 2006 (Non-government PDF)
A Global View of HIV Infection: 2006 Global Report Prevalence Map (Non-government PDF)
Source: 2006 Report on the global AIDS epidemic, UNAIDS, May 2006
HIV/AIDS Statistics Resources
HIV Vaccine Update
Information from the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (Non-government):
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