Also, puppies may be too much work for someone with advanced disease. Plus, with older animals, you can see whether their size and temperament agree with you. Most birds pose a minimal risk for transmitting disease. PAWS recommends that people at risk do not keep or handle reptiles. In fact, HIV positive people contract infections more often from contaminated food, water, soil, or even other people than from pets.
Precautions apply for children as well as adults.
However, children may want to snuggle more with their pets. Some pets, like cats, may bite or scratch to get away from children. Adults should be extra watchful and supervise an HIV positive child's handwashing to prevent infections. As such, they are akin to seeing eye dogs and must be allowed in housing otherwise off-limits to pets. They can also be taken along on public transportation, among other privileges.