ABSTRACT
Introduction The continuing perpetuation of the global pandemic of HIV disease and the everincreasing incidence of new HIV infections every year throughout the world, as reviewed in Chapter 1, are inextricably linked to the different ways in which this virus is transmitted among people. Understanding the means by which people can become exposed to and infected with HIV is central to developing strategies for patient education focused on primary prevention. In this chapter we explore these different domains of exposure and the risk factors in each domain associated with an increased vulnerability for HIV infection in both individuals and communities.
