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No one has ever gotten HIV from shaking hands, hugging or kissing on the cheek.

Kissing, including open-mouth kissing, is also thought to be safe.¹

• HIV doesn't live in saliva. Lots of research has been done to find out whether HIV lives in saliva. If someone has HIV in their saliva, it has probably come from blood in their mouth. In one study, researchers looked at the saliva from 79 men with AIDS. Only one of the men had HIV in his saliva, and it probably came from blood in his mouth. This man had some sores in his mouth and throat. And the amount of HIV in his saliva was 10,000 times less than the amount in his blood.
• Saliva may kill HIV. Researchers think that the chemicals in saliva kill HIV.

There's a very small chance that you could get HIV from open-mouth kissing. This can only happen if you kiss someone who has the virus when one or both of you has sores or cuts in your mouth.

No. You can't get HIV from sharing food or utensils with someone who has the virus.

HIV doesn't live in saliva. So you can't catch HIV from someone else's saliva.

It's perfectly safe to share a sandwich, apple, cup of coffee or spoon with someone who has HIV.¹

No. The chemicals in swimming pools kill HIV instantly. So there's no chance of getting infected.¹

No. HIV does not live in insects or traditional domestic or farmyard animals.

You may think that you can get HIV from insects that suck blood, such as mosquitoes. But if a mosquito bites someone who has HIV, the virus dies as soon as it gets inside the mosquito. So the mosquito can't pass on the infection.¹

You can't get HIV from a pet. And if you have HIV, you can't pass it on to your pet. The only animals that could be a risk to people are chimpanzees kept in laboratories, that have been deliberately infected with HIV for medical research.

This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment. ©BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2008. All rights reserved.