HIV Myths & Facts
There are many myths and unfortunately a wealth of willful misinformation about HIV. Understanding the realities of HIV can improve your understanding of your own health as well as give you a better outlook on HIV-positive people.
Other People Are Reading
-
Myth: Casual Contact
-
Many people believe that you can contract HIV through casual contact, like hugging, kissing, sharing a beverage, using the same toilet, swimming pool or hot tub, or when an HIV-positive person coughs or sneezes.
Fact: Routes of Transmission
-
HIV can be transmitted through unprotected vaginal, anal and sometimes oral sex; by sharing hypodermic needles; during pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding; and by receiving an infected donor fluid, tissue or organ, though this last route is no longer a concern in the U.S. and other developed countries, as these products are all screened. HIV cannot be spread through casual contact. HIV can only be spread through kissing if both partners have open sores or cuts in their mouths, and the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) reports that this is very rare.
-
Myth: HIV Only Affects Certain People
-
HIV was first found among gay men living in coastal cities in America, then among intravenous drug users and immigrants from Haiti. It is a common myth that only certain groups of people, like gay men, sex workers and drug users, get HIV.
Fact: Anyone Can Be Infected with HIV
-
HIV is not restricted to any sexual preference, occupational field or race. While some populations are disproportionately affected by the virus, anyone who engages in a known risk behavior could contract the virus. HIV also affects children, and people working in the health field are sometimes (rarely) accidentally infected, as from a needle stick.
Myth: HIV Infection Is Obvious
-
Some people believe they know what an HIV-positive person looks like or that HIV always has obvious, tell-tale signs.
Fact:: HIV Can Be Latent
-
HIV has a latency period that lasts on average for 10 years but may last up to 25. When an HIV-positive person experiences latent infection, there are no symptoms or other markers that the virus is present. Most people become infected through contact with someone who had no symptoms, and many people who are infected have no idea that they are HIV-positive.
-
