The HIV virus can be transmitted by infected blood and blood products, semen, vaginal fluids, breast milk, and inutero —from mother to fetus. While unprotected penetrative sex—penile, vaginal or anal—is the most common means of transmitting HIV, sharing needles which carry HIV-infected blood is the second most common means of transmitting HIV, the virus which causes AIDS
Sharing needles of any kind in any behavior is risky.
Sharing needles includes:.
Medical and Body Decoration Uses
Drug Usage
insulin injections for diabetics
tattooing
scarification
ear and body piercing
injection steroid use
heroin (smack)
cocaine
speed
Sharing needles in any of these activities is risky
and potentially enables you to become HIV infected.
Don't use needles.
If you do, don't share.
If you share, clean your needles
San Francisco AIDS Foundation
Cleaning Needles
Safer needle cleaning involves using a ten-to-one water-to-bleach solution. Needles need to remain in the solution for at least 30 seconds. In hollow needles—the ones used for injection—the needle, syringe, and cotton need to hold the bleach solution for 30 seconds. The procedure must be repeated at least four times.
Ten parts water One part bleach
+
Needle Syringe Cotton
+
30 second soak time
+
Repeat four times
=
SAFE
Shaving
Sharing razors is also a risky behavior and a potential source of HIV infection
Razors are sometimes shared...
by athletes before swim meets or body building competitions.
by those with in domestic or group living arrangements.
by sexual partners for pubic hair or body shaving.
DO NOT SHARE RAZORS
Piercing
People interested in tattooing or in body piercing can reduce their risk of infection by going to parlors which are certified as using standard procedures EACH time it's used. Standard procedures are methods used to reduce the risk of infection transmission. In New York State, these parlors usually display a certificate which indicates they use clean needles. You should go only to tattoo and piercing parlors that display these certificates.
PIERCING OR TATTOOING EACH OTHER IS NOT RECOMMENDED.
