No. From the start of the HIV epidemic there has been concern about HIV transmission of the virus by biting and bloodsucking insects, such as mosquitoes. However, studies have shown no evidence of HIV transmission through mosquitoes or any other insects—even in areas where there are many cases of AIDS and large populations of mosquitoes. Lack of such outbreaks, despite intense efforts to detect them, supports the conclusion that HIV is not transmitted by insects.

No. From the start of the HIV epidemic there has been concern about HIV transmission of the virus by biting and bloodsucking insects, such as mosquitoes. However, studies conducted by the CDC and elsewhere have shown no evidence of HIV transmission through mosquitoes or any other insects -- even in areas where there are many cases of AIDS and large populations of mosquitoes.

No. There is no evidence that mosquitoes, other insects, or animals play a role in the HIV transmission. In areas known to have many mosquitoes and high rates of HIV infection, studies have shown that only those individuals participating in sexual or injection drug activities were infected rather than those who were exposed only to mosquito bites, such as young children and elderly adults.

Globally, 45 percent of adults living with HIV/AIDS are women. By region, this percentage varies considerably, from 57% in Sub-Saharan Africa, to 28% in East Asia and the Pacific. In 2004, 17.6 million women were living with HIV/AIDS worldwide.

HIV can be passed on in both ways because the virus is present in the sexual fluids and blood of infected people. If infected blood or sexual fluid gets into your blood, then you will become infected. If a man with HIV has vaginal intercourse without a condom, infected fluid could pass into the woman's blood stream through a tiny cut or sore inside her body. This can be so small that you don't know about it.

Infection with HIV in this way is rare. There have only been a couple of documented cases of HIV transmission resulting from biting. In these particular cases, severe tissue tearing and damage were reported in addition to the presence of blood. REF: HOW AIDS CAN BE TRANSMITTED

A blood test can determine whether or not a person is infected with HIV. The most commonly used test detects antibodies (disease-fighting proteins) against HIV. It may take as long as three to six months for HIV antibodies to reach levels that are measurable in standard blood tests.

The only way to tell you have HIV is be tested for the virus. You cannot rely on symptoms to tell if you or someone you know is infected. The symptoms of HIV are similar to many other illnesses and many people have no symptoms at all. The symptoms of AIDS are also similar to other diseases. If a person is infected with HIV, the only way to tell if they have progressed to AIDS is to be diagnosed by a doctor using the CDC defined criteria.

Mosquitoes or other sucking and biting insects do not transmit HIV. For a mosquito to infect someone, it would have to bite a person who was infected. Then, it would have to either immediately travel to someone else and infect that person from tiny drops of infected blood left on the sucker, or it would have to process the virus in its saliva and inject it into the next person. Mosquitoes do not do either of these things. They do not travel from person to person.

In 2004, 640,000 children under 15 were newly infected with HIV, bringing the total number of children living with HIV to 2.2 million. About half of all new adult HIV infections occur among 15-24 year olds. Learn more about USAID's efforts to prevent HIV in children and young people:

Research suggests the risk of HIV infection in this way is extremely low. A very small number of people -usually in a healthcare setting- have become infected with HIV as a result of blood splashes in the eye. REF: TRANSMISSION OF AIDS AMONG HEALTH WORKERS

You can have a free HIV test at one of our Public Health Clinics in Chico or Oroville, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The test is quick, painless. Call for more information at (530) 538-6220 / 1-877-783-4636.

Being infected with HIV does not necessarily mean you have AIDS. It does mean you will carry the virus in your body for the rest of your life. It also means you can infect other people if you do things - such as have unprotected sex - that can transmit HIV. You can infect others even if you feel fine and have no symptoms of illness. Perhaps more importantly, you can infect others when you don't know you carry HIV.

Only with a blood test. A person can be HIV infected for many years while looking and feeling healthy, with no signs at all of being sick.

The surest way is to abstain from unprotected sexual behaviors and totally avoid sharing needles of any kind. When engaging in sexual behaviors always practice safer sex to reduce the risk of exchanging blood semen or vaginal fluids with your sex partner. Never use petroleum based lubricants since they can cause latex condoms or dental dams to deteriorate and tear. You should never share needles works cookers cotton water or any other paraphernalia used to inject drugs.

Studies of families of HIV-infected people have found that HIV is not spread through sharing utensils, towels, bedding, or toilet facilities. Behaviors that increase the likelihood of contact with blood from an HIV-infected person, such as sharing a razor or toothbrush, should be avoided.

No, it is not possible to get HIV from mosquitoes. Blood is food for the mosquito and it goes directly into its stomach. When taking blood from someone mosquitoes do not inject blood from any previous person. The only thing that a mosquito injects is saliva, which acts as a lubricant and enables it to feed more efficiently.

NO. Although you can be infected from one exposure to HIV, it depends on HOW you are exposed, how healthy you are at the time, and how much virus the infected person has in their system. Drugs and Alcohol significantly increase the chance of being infected if you are exposed.

Most of the parents of the children at BaanGerda were infected with HIV. The disease was passed to them through pregnancy, and when they were born they were already HIV positive. The parents subsequently died from an AIDS related illness. Between 20-30% of babies born to HIV positive mothers who have no prenatal care and no antiviral therapy will be born HIV positive.

It is possible. Oral sex often involves semen, vaginal secretions, or blood -- fluids that contain HIV. HIV is transmitted by the introduction of infected semen, vaginal secretions, or blood into another person's body. During oral intercourse, the virus could enter the body through tiny cuts or sores in the mouth.

No. The AIDS virus does not live in a mosquito and it is not transmitted through a mosquito's salivary glands like other diseases such as malaria or yellow fever.

No. Although this is a common fear, there is no evidence to support the theory that mosquitoes can transmit the Human-Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Studies by the US Centres for Disease Control and others can find no evidence that mosquitoes, or any other blood-sucking insect, can transmit HIV. In countries where both high HIV prevalence and high malaria rates exist, such as Uganda, HIV mainly affects the sexually active population.