Routes of transmission is primarily associated with injecting drug users, hemophiliacs, and recipients of blood transfusions and blood products. Sharing and reusing syringes (syringe) containing blood contaminated by biological disease-causing organisms (pathogens), not only is the main risk for HIV infection, but also hepatitis B and hepatitis C.
Sharing the use of syringes is the cause of one third of all new HIV infections and 50% of hepatitis C infection in North America, People's Republic of China, and Eastern Europe. Risk of being infected with HIV from a single prick with a needle used HIV-infected people suspected of approximately 1 in 150. Post-exposure prophylaxis with anti-HIV drugs can further reduce that risk.
Workers' health facilities (nurses, laboratory workers, doctors, etc.) are also feared, although less frequently. Routes of transmission may also occur in people who give and receive a tattoo and body piercing. Universal precautions are often not adhered to both in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia because of lack of resources and inadequate training.
WHO estimates that 2.5% of all HIV infections in sub-Saharan Africa are transmitted through injection at the health facilities that are not safe. Therefore, the General Assembly of the United Nations, supported by general medical opinion on the issue, encouraging state- countries in the world to implement universal precautions to prevent HIV transmission through health facilities.
The risk of HIV transmission to recipients of blood transfusions is very small in developed countries. In developed countries, improved donor selection and HIV conducted observations. However, according to the WHO, the majority of the world's population lack access to safe blood and "between 5% and 10% of
HIV infections worldwide occur through transfusion of infected blood".
