HIV Transmission Risk Through Tears: What You Need to Know

HIV viral particles (virions) are found in the tears of HIV-positive people. However, you can feel secure comforting your HIV-positive loved ones, as there is too little HIV in tears to lead to infection in another person.

Transmission

• For the HIV virus to be transmitted successfully, it needs to pass from an infectious bodily fluid into the bloodstream of an uninfected person.

Tears and Other Fluids

• Bodily fluids that contain HIV but too little of the virus to be successfully transmitted to others include tears, saliva and urine.

Infectious Fluids

• HIV is transmitted through the blood, semen, vaginal secretions or breast milk of an infected person. Transmission can occur through unprotected sex, sharing injection-drug equipment and breastfeeding.

Non-Risk Activities

• It is not possible to contract HIV through casual contact, sharing things like dishes, bathrooms and swimming pools, and HIV is not airborne.

Considerations

• There is a risk of infection if there is a quantity of an infectious fluid in a non-infectious fluid--if there is blood present in tears, for instance.