AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) is caused by the HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus). The virus is transmitted through direct contact with certain body fluids from a person who has HIV. These body fluids include blood, semen, vaginal fluids, and breast milk.
HIV is not spread through food, air, or water, and it is not an airborne disease. The virus requires a direct exchange of these fluids, usually through unprotected sexual contact, sharing needles, or from mother to child during childbirth or breastfeeding.