Transmission Routes, Viral Loads and Relative Risks: The Science of HIV for Lawyers and Advocates, Center for HIV Law and Policy (2011)

This document summarizes key scientific sources and selected quotations on the nature of HIV in ways that are accessible and useful for legal briefs and other advocacy work. The publication includes sections on HIV as a chronic disease, HIV as an impairment of the immune system and a covered disability under the ADA/ADAAA, the routes and risk of HIV transmission, and the use and limits of phylogenetic analysis in proving the source of an individual's HIV infection. While this resource is intended primarily to support those working against HIV criminalization or representing persons with HIV in criminal proceedings, it should be useful in a variety of civil or legal proceedings in which the nature of HIV or how it is transmitted is at issue.