AIDS - kissing
Dr LM Nath
Consultant, Community Medicine,
New Delhi
Consultant, Community Medicine,
New Delhi
Q: I want to know whether AIDS is transmitted by mouth to mouth kissing with an infected person or by wearing patient"s clothes like shirt, pants, undergarments without washing.
A:If there is exchange of saliva, and especially if both the persons involved have bleeding gums or mouth ulceration HIV infection can occur. Ordinary social or dry kisses do not carry a risk. Wearing an infected persons clothing, even without washing, does not carry any risk (unless the clothes are soiled with still wet body fluids and come into contact with an ulcer or break in the skin).