Positively Adopted - Can I get HIV from household contact? Answer

Quick Quote

Don't spend time worrying about weird and obscure ways of transmitting the virus. The simple fact is that if no one shared needles and everyone wore condoms, the HIV epidemic would disappear."

- Joel Gallant, M.D., M.P.H., Professor of Medicine & Epidemiology in the Division of Infectious Diseases and Associate Director of the Johns Hopkins AIDS Service at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicin e

Can I get HIV from casual contact?

HIV is not transmitted through casual, everyday, household contact.

HIV is not transmitted by saliva, so it is impossible to get it through sharing a glass, a fork, a sandwich, etc.

HIV is not transmitted by day-to-day contact in the workplace, schools, or social settings.

HIV is not transmitted through shaking hands, hugging, or a casual kiss. You cannot become infected from a toilet seat, a drinking fountain, a door knob, dishes, drinking glasses, food, or pets.

"HIV cannot be transmitted through routine daily activities such as using a toilet seat, sharing food utensils or drinking glasses, shaking hands, or through kissing" according to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.