[MissAmericanPie]

I thought the aids virus could live for up to three weeks outside of a host. Three weeks is a long time in germ world.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

HIV will fall apart as soon as the spot its sitting in dries out. Its got a fatty section in the protein coat that's very unstable. It takes real determination to spread it.

[BearCub]

I thought the aids virus could live for up to three weeks outside of a host. Three weeks is a long time in germ world.

No. Some viruses, like Hep-B can 'live' for quite a while in open air. But HIV is extremely fragile & it can't survive more than a few minutes - or at most hours under some circumstances - in the open. This is evidenced by the fact that there is not one confirmed case of environmental transmission (e.g., toilet seat). This is also why it can't be spread by coughing or sneezing despite it's (sometimes) presence in saliva. Even if it did survive in the open, you wouldn't get exposed to an infectious dose.