De-mything the Myths

Submitted by Lynda Piper-Roche on 29 September 2009 - 9:41pm

Last week I was speaking to a gentleman who recently volunteered with an organisation that builds houses in Africa. He returned from his experience convinced that sharing a bottle of water with a HIV+ person spreads the virus. IT DOES NO SUCH THING!!!! A person CANNOT become infected with HIV by shaking a HIV+ person's hand, by hugging them, by using the toilet after them or drinking from the same glass, OR by being exposed to coughing or sneezing. Saliva carries a negligible viral load, so even open-mouthed kissing is considered a low risk. However, if the infected partner, or both, have blood in their mouth due to cuts, open sores, or gum disease, the risk is higher.

More FACTS:

  1. HIV is not transmitted by mosquitoes! Although mosquitoes bite, they do not inject the blood of a previous victim into the next person. They do inject their saliva, which may carry dengue fever or malaria.
  2. Heterosexuals are the most at risk group!!
  3. A person with an STD (sexually transmitted disease) is more at risk of contracting the virus if they have sexual intercourse (protected less risk) with a HIV+ person than a person who does not have an STD.
  4. A woman who knows about her HIV infection early in pregnancy and is treated appropriately has about a 2% chance of delivering a baby with HIV. Without treatment, the risk is about 25%.
  5. HIV can be transmitted via semen, vaginal fluids, blood and breast milk.

The list of misconceptions goes on and on...

It scares me that someone (or thousands of people in this case) might return from such an experience harbouring more misconceptions about the virus than they left with!