How long does HIV last?

The survival time of HIV in different environments is different. The survival time in liquid environment is relatively long, about 15 days, and the survival time is 96 hours. HIV can only survive in blood and body fluids outside the body. The virus cannot survive outside these environments.

1. Survival time

At room temperature, HIV can survive in a liquid environment for 15 days, and items contaminated with HIV are infectious for at least 3 days. In recent years, some research institutions have proved that the survival time of HIV virus in blood outside the body is determined by the virus content in the blood. Blood with a high virus content remains active even if it is left at room temperature for 96 hours without drying. Even if it is a drop of blood the size of a needle tip, if it encounters fresh lymphocytes, HIV can continue to replicate in it and can still be transmitted. Blood with a low virus content will lose its vitality after 2 hours of natural drying; however, blood with a high virus content can still enter the culture medium and continue to replicate once it encounters lymphocytes even if it has been dried for 2-4 hours. Therefore, blood containing HIV outside the body can cause infection. However, HIV is very fragile and can be inactivated by heating HIV in liquid to 56 degrees for 10 minutes. If boiled, it can be quickly inactivated; at 37 degrees, HIV can be inactivated by treating with disinfectants such as 70% alcohol, 10% bleach, 2% glutaraldehyde, 4% formalin, 35% isopropyl alcohol, 0.5% Lysol and 0.3% hydrogen peroxide for 10 minutes.

2. Weaknesses

Although HIV can penetrate any cracks, these viruses also have weaknesses. They can only survive in living cells in blood and body fluids. They cannot survive in air, water, and food. Without these blood and body fluids, these viruses will die quickly. The virus can only be spread when blood or body fluids containing the virus enter directly from one person to another. Like the hepatitis B virus, it will be destroyed by the proteases in the digestive tract once it enters the digestive tract.

However, HIV can survive for several days in the blood left in a used needle. Because the blood remaining in the injection needle is not easy to dry. Used needles can directly enter the human blood, so used injection needles are very dangerous for HIV transmission. The ideal solution is that used injection needles should not be reused. If they are to be reused, they must be treated with bleach or alcohol before use. The chance of contracting HIV from handling body fluids is extremely small because these fluids rarely have a chance to enter the body's bloodstream. However, anyone handling blood, semen, or vaginal secretions should be careful to avoid contact with damaged skin or mucous membranes (such as around the eyes).

Tips

In daily life, eating, bathing, shaking hands, hugging, sharing toilets, swimming, sneezing, etc. with HIV-infected people will not cause the transmission of HIV.