Most folks with the disease can transmit it to others by sexual contact or other exposure of an uninfected person's blood to the blood or semen of the infected person. One tends to be plagued by frequent colds, enlarged lymph nodes, and the like. This condition can go on for years. Unfortunately, all those with ARC are currently felt to eventually progress to getting the full blown AIDS disease. There are, however, many folks who have NO obvious signs of disease, but when their blood serum is tested they show positive evidence of having been exposed to the virus.
Medical research holds the possibility of commuting that sentence, or reversing it.
The AIDS virus is extremely fragile, and is killed by exposure to mild detergents or to Clorox, among other things. Similarly, there is no evidence that sharing food or eating utensils with an AIDS patient can transmit the virus. The same is true for transmission by sneezing or coughing. There just is no current evidence that the disease can be transmitted that wasy. Sexual activity is one of the primary ways AIDS is transmitted.