2006-08-20 17:08:14 · 3 answers · asked by mcneiltony 3 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Other - Diseases
Scientists and medical authorities agree that HIV does not survive well outside the body, making the possibility of environmental transmission remote. HIV is found in varying concentrations or amounts in blood, semen, vaginal fluid, breast milk, saliva, and tears. To obtain data on the survival of HIV, laboratory studies have required the use of artificially high concentrations of laboratory-grown virus. Although these unnatural concentrations of HIV can be kept alive for days or even weeks under precisely controlled and limited laboratory conditions, CDC studies have shown that drying of even these high concentrations of HIV reduces the amount of infectious virus by 90 to 99 percent within several hours. Since the HIV concentrations used in laboratory studies are much higher than those actually found in blood or other specimens, drying of HIV-infected human blood or other body fluids reduces the theoretical risk of environmental transmission to that which has been observed - essentially zero. Incorrect interpretations of conclusions drawn from laboratory studies have in some instances caused unnecessary alarm.
Results from laboratory studies should not be used to assess specific personal risk of infection because (1) the amount of virus studied is not found in human specimens or elsewhere in nature, and (2) no one has been identified as infected with HIV due to contact with an environmental surface. Additionally, HIV is unable to reproduce outside its living host (unlike many bacteria or fungi, which may do so under suitable conditions), except under laboratory conditions; therefore, it does not spread or maintain infectiousness outside its host.
2006-08-20 18:00:11 · answer #1 · answered by Kuji 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
well,I am living with this HIV Virus myself,and although i havent tried to look at my blood under a micro-scope-yet,from research and what i have heard it can live from 3 sec.-3 min. outside of the body,some say that as soon as the virus hits the air it begins to die.but this has raised an interesting experiment that i can do at the University here in kingston,since i am here anyways eh!have a nice day and i hope this has made it alittle clearer for you,peace all!safe sex saves lives,so save a life today!
2006-08-21 00:22:41 · answer #2 · answered by joeniceguy2005 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
not very long seconds at the most
2006-08-24 22:37:40 · answer #3 · answered by queenofhearts692 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋