MCQ Detailed View

HIV, or Human Immunodeficiency Virus, is a virus that attacks the immune system, making it harder for the body to fight infections and diseases. One of the most dangerous ways HIV spreads is through the sharing of contaminated needles during drug injection. Among all listed drug abuses, the injection of heroin or other drugs carries the highest risk of infection with HIV/AIDS.

When people inject drugs like heroin using unsterilized or shared needles, the virus can pass directly from one person’s blood into another’s bloodstream. HIV is primarily transmitted through infected blood, sexual contact, or from mother to child during birth or breastfeeding. Injection drug use creates a direct pathway for the virus to enter the body because the same needle may have been previously used by someone who is HIV positive.

Other forms of drug abuse mentioned in the options do not typically spread HIV:

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  Cigarette smoking harms the lungs and causes many diseases but does not transmit HIV.

  
  


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  Using alcohol can damage the liver and impair judgment but does not spread HIV directly.

  
  


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  Taking too much aspirin can harm the stomach and cause bleeding issues but does not carry a risk of HIV transmission.

  
  

The major risk factor with injection drug use is blood-to-blood contact, as the virus survives in infected blood. Unsafe injection practices not only spread HIV but can also transmit other serious infections like Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C.

Preventing HIV infections linked to drug abuse requires using sterile needles, avoiding shared syringes, and providing education on safe drug practices or rehabilitation programs to reduce drug dependency. Health organizations worldwide emphasize these measures to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS among drug users.

Therefore, the correct answer is Injection of heroin, as it carries the greatest risk of HIV infection due to the use of contaminated needles.