Is there a significant health risk from casual contact with HIV-infected aliens?
An arriving alien with HIV infection does not pose a public health risk to the general population through casual contact. An HIV-infected person in a common public setting will not place another individual at risk. HIV is a fragile virus that cannot live for very long outside the body. The virus is not transmitted by mosquitoes or through day-to-day activities such as shaking hands, hugging, or casual kissing. HIV cannot be acquired from a toilet seat, drinking fountain, doorknob, eating utensils, drinking glasses, food, or pets. Diseases, such as tuberculosis, that are transmissible through aerosol or respiratory droplets do pose a risk through casual contact for introduction and spread in the U.S. population.
