HIV or the Human Immunodeficiency virus is perhaps the most feared amongst those who come in close contact with body fluids, even miniscule quantities, and are often concerned about its transmission. More often, the idea of its ability to survive outside the body is a particular source of distress and raises ample questions. This article will explain on how long HIV can live outside the body as well as the chances of being infected by HIV virus through other ways.
How Long does HIV Live Outside the Body?
According to an Australian review (2003), “Viral survival is influenced by virus titer, volume of blood, ambient temperature, exposure to sunlight and humidity.”
Laboratory studies, aiming to acquire data on HIV survival, developed solutions containing copious amounts of artificially grown viral concentrations and revealed that the viruses could be kept alive in the course of days to weeks, given that optimal conditions were maintained.
However, drying of these fluids reduces the amount of infectious virus by 99 percent in a span as low as a few hours, according to CDC. So we can say that most of the HIV virus dies within several hours outside the body because of inappropriate temperature, lack of human host and other factors.
Other Facts of HIV Survival
- Being insensitive to extreme cold, HIV requires heat and temperatures as high as 60°C to be killed/ destroyed.
- HIV levels in blood at room temperature remain markedly stable. It is interesting to note that the virus can persist in dried blood for at least a week at 4°C.
- Survival of HIV in syringes, used to draw blood infected with the virus, can last as long as four weeks. The temperature played a role with a longer survival of the virus with temperatures lower than 4°C while viral activity was not detected after seven days when temperatures were elevated as high as 27-37°C.
- Its sensitivity to changes in pH leads to variable survival term with HIV, the most suitable being 7-8, below or above which can quicken the death of the virus.
- Survival of HIV in sewage water, as proven by the research of Thames Water, is up to several days. This survival, however, is inconsequential to the risk factor as HIV has hardly ever been isolated from feces and urine.
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