Which practice increases risk of HIV transmission?

Which practice increases risk of HIV transmission?

• A. Sharing needles during drug use
• B. Regular hand washing
• C. Vaccination
• D. Eating raw meat

Answer: (A)

HIV transmission occurs mainly through exposure to infected blood and certain body fluids, so activities that involve direct blood-to-blood contact or sharing infected fluids raise risk. Sharing needles during drug use creates a direct blood-to-blood pathway: if a needle or syringe carries HIV, using it transfers the virus from one person’s blood to another, creating a high-risk route for infection with each use. Regular hand washing helps prevent many infections but doesn’t establish a pathway for HIV spread, since casual contact and routine hygiene do not transmit the virus. Vaccination involves a clean, controlled exposure to a vaccine and is not a route for HIV transmission. Eating raw meat is not a transmission route for HIV either, as the virus does not survive in typical food handling once cooked and is not spread through eating. So, the practice that increases HIV transmission risk is sharing needles during drug use because it directly introduces blood-to-blood exposure.

HIV transmission occurs mainly through exposure to infected blood and certain body fluids, so activities that involve direct blood-to-blood contact or sharing infected fluids raise risk. Sharing needles during drug use creates a direct blood-to-blood pathway: if a needle or syringe carries HIV, using it transfers the virus from one person’s blood to another, creating a high-risk route for infection with each use.

Regular hand washing helps prevent many infections but doesn’t establish a pathway for HIV spread, since casual contact and routine hygiene do not transmit the virus. Vaccination involves a clean, controlled exposure to a vaccine and is not a route for HIV transmission. Eating raw meat is not a transmission route for HIV either, as the virus does not survive in typical food handling once cooked and is not spread through eating.

So, the practice that increases HIV transmission risk is sharing needles during drug use because it directly introduces blood-to-blood exposure.