Common myths and misconceptions about the way HIV is spread.

HIV cannot be transmitted from

• Air, food, water, insects, animals, dishes, knives, forks, spoons, toilet seats, or anything else that doesn’t involve blood, semen, vaginal fluids, or breast milk
• Feces, nasal fluid, saliva, sweat, tears, urine, or vomit, unless blood is mixed in them

You can help people with HIV eat, dress, even bathe, without becoming infected yourself, as long as you follow the steps to protect yourself. You can get and transmit germs a person living with AIDS by many of the things listed above, so use common sense.

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Adapted from Caring for Someone with AIDS at Home: A Guide, ACTIS Publication No. D817, United States Department of Health and Human Services, AIDS Clinical Trial Information Service.