Criminal transmission of HIV is the intentional or reckless infection of a person with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). This is often conflated, in laws and in discussion, with criminal exposure to HIV, which does not require the transmission of the virus and often, as in the cases of spitting and biting, does not include a realistic means of transmission. Some countries or jurisdictions, including some areas of the U.S., have enacted laws expressly to criminalize HIV transmission or exposure, charging those accused with criminal transmission of HIV. Other countries charge the accused under existing laws with such crimes as murder, manslaughter, attempted murder, assault or fraud. Criminal transmission of HIV is now better known as HIV non-disclosure, which is the criminal offence in some jurisdictions for not disclosing an HIV positive status. This can be intentionally or unknowingly not disclosing HIV status and then exposing or transmitting HIV to a person. HIV non-disclosure includes intentional transmission, accidental transmission, unknowing transmission (where the source individual is unaware of their infection), and exposure to HIV with no transmission. Individuals have been accused of and charged for HIV non-disclosure even if no harm was intended and if HIV was not actually transmitted. Laws in some countries also criminalize mother-to-child transmission of HIV during pregnancy/birth or breastfeeding. Modes of transmission HIV is spread when one of these bodily fluids: blood, semen, pre-seminal fluid, breast milk, rectal fluids, or vaginal fluids of an HIV-positive person comes into contact with a mucous membrane or bloodstream of an HIV-negative person. HIV transmission can occur via: Unprotected sexual intercourse Sharing needles or other equipment in injection drug use Intentionally attacking people with HIV infected needles Mother-to-child during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding Receiving a blood transfusion or organ donation – although this is unlikely because blood and organ donations are extensively tested for HIV Reducing chance of transmission Having a low viral load decreases the chance of transmitting HIV. A person living with HIV who is taking effective antiretroviral therapy will have a viral load that becomes so low, it is undetectable (less than 50 copies of virus per milliliter). Undetectable viral loads are untransmittable. Proper use of external condoms or internal condoms also greatly reduces any chance of transmission. Legal situation In many English-speaking countries and in most of the states who have signed the European Convention of Human Rights, knowingly infecting others with HIV can lead