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NetWellness provides the highest quality health information and education services created and evaluated by faculty of our partner universities.
Friday, February 10, 2012
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HIV and AIDS |
Can I Contract HIV Through Open Mouth Kissing?05/23/2006 |
Given that HIV has been found in saliva, and that a man and a woman have no cuts in their mouths, will the one carrying the virus pass it onto the other through snogging?(French kissing) Thanking you in advance.
Casual contact through closed-mouth or "social" kissing is not a risk for transmission of HIV. Because of the potential for contact with blood during "French" or open-mouth kissing, CDC recommends against engaging in this activity with a person known to be infected. However, the risk of acquiring HIV during open-mouth kissing is believed to be very low. CDC has investigated only one case of HIV infection that may be attributed to contact with blood during open-mouth kissing.
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Pamposh Kaul, MD Assistant Professor Division of Infectious Diseases Department of Internal Medicine College of Medicine University of Cincinnati |
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