ABSTRACT
Tattooing, ear piercing, acupuncture, or the sports use of steroids and other adjuncts may also be a means of transmission, again, generally hypothesized to be through blood. People have been concerned about some of the following: insect vectors, food and utensil contamination, toilet seats, airborne transmission, touch, sweat. In addition to health care professionals, other professionals also run the risk of accidental transmission of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and may need to be tested on an emergency basis. HIV infection is associated with sexual intercourse; the virus has been isolated from seminal fluid and pre-ejaculatory fluid, as well as vaginal and cervical secretion. In view of the anxiety of being told to have an HIV test, waiting for the results, and hearing them, preand post-test counseling is an important facet of HIV testing. The course of HIV infection is characterized by its attack on the immune system and the multiple opportunistic infections that result from the reduction in immune function.
