After reading so much on HIV you may be confused as to what information is right and what is false. You may be caught up between the myths and facts. So, keep reading to get your facts clear.

Some Myths And Facts…

Nothing to worry about STDs as they cannot kill you.

This statement is partially true. Some STDs are curable like gonorrhea, genital herpes, syphilis, chlamydia, etc. But infections like HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C are not on the list of curable diseases.

There is a vaccine for Hepatitis B but for HIV there is no vaccine or cure.

HIV can only affect homosexual men and drug users.

This is false. Anyone can get infected with HIV - heterosexual as well as homosexual men and women, teenagers, old people, and even babies if the mother is HIV positive.

The top partner during vaginal or anal intercourse is at low risk for HIV.

This is a myth. Sexual contact in any form vaginal, anal or oral and any position can lead to HIV infection. So, under any circumstances practicing safe sex can only save you from HIV/AIDS.

If you are above 50 years of age you won’t get HIV.

This is absolutely false. Anyone having unsafe sex with multiple partners can get infected with HIV. So, the only way not to get infected is to practice safe sex and to stick to one partner no matter what age is.

One cannot get HIV from tattoos or body piercing.

This is not true as there is always a risk of HIV transmission if tools contaminated with blood are not cleaned and sterilized properly between clients. Therefore, it is important to make sure that the instruments are cleaned and sterilized at any parlors be it for body arts or other beauty treatments.

HIV can be spread only from contact with infected blood.

This is partially true. The body fluids of an infected person that spread HIV are semen, vaginal fluid, blood and breast milk. Other body fluids like saliva and tears also contain the virus. But it is not known to spread through tears, sweat and saliva. In cases of deep kissing where any one or both the partners are having bleeding gums or mouth ulcers then there is a possibility of HIV infection. Practicing safe sex and being careful about sterilized needles and syringes is always a must to save yourself from HIV infection.

Sharing needles to inject drugs can spread HIV.

Yes, this is true. Needles and syringes are never to be shared or re-used. Therefore, make sure of the sterilization techniques while receiving intravenous medicines and also, while receiving or donating blood.

He/she does not look like someone with HIV.

You cannot judge a person HIV status by his or her looks. The 10-year latency period can prevent a person from knowing he or she is infected with HIV as till then he or she may not have any symptoms or illnesses. Only a test can help if detecting a person’s HIV status. So, a good look is no reason not to use condom while having sex.

Knowing your partner’s sexual history will save you from getting HIV.

Learning your partner's sexual and drug history is very important. The single most effective way to protect yourself from HIV is abstinence. Otherwise, make sure you practice safe sex that is to use a condom every time you have sex.

Taking birth control pills can protect a woman from getting infected by HIV.

This is a myth. Birth control pills, Intrauterine Contraceptive devices (like Copper-T) etc are methods of contraception to prevent unwanted pregnancies and not to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Latex condoms are very helpful in saving the spread of HIV infection when used consistently and correctly. Male condoms (worn on penis) or female condoms (can be placed in vagina or rectum) both can save spread of HIV to a huge extent from any sexual contact – vaginal, anal or oral.

HIV antibody testing is not reliable.

This is a myth. Diagnosis of infection using antibody testing is an established concept in medicine. Current HIV antibody tests are reliable in both sensitivity and specificity. To check if you are HIV positive or not, can be only confirmed through these tests.

If you are just diagnosed as HIV positive then you are going to die soon.

This is a myth. People are living with HIV longer today than ever before as there are successful treatment programs that improve the weakened immune system of the affected. But it is true that once you are diagnosed of being HIV positive then you need to consult a doctor and start with the appropriate therapy to prevent the onset of AIDS.

There is a vaccine available to cure AIDS.

This is a myth. Progress has been made with the anti-retroviral therapy for the HIV positive people. There are researches that are being done to develop a vaccine for AIDS but it is still in the research stages. Currently, there is no therapy that can cure AIDS. Only the use of Anti retroviral therapy (ART) in HIV positive people can help them in managing their health and slows down or stops the progress of aids in them depending on their immune systems.

If both the partners have HIV then there is no need for precautions and the use of contraception.

This is not true. In cases where both the partners are HIV positive, then the use of condom will prevent the possible super-infection/re-infection with HIV that may be drug resistant. When both the partners are HIV positive, the severity of infection may differ in both of them depending on their individual immunity levels and the type of anti-HIV therapy taken. The risk of re-infection between HIV-positive couples is likely to relate to their viral loads. By having unsafe sex, you can infect your partner again if you are taking anti-HIV therapies, which you've become resistant to, and then you pass the drug-resistant strain of HIV to your partner. The risk increases if one partner is doing well on treatment while the other partner is untreated and/or has a high viral load. And the he risk is graver if one partner is resistant to HIV treatment. This will make HIV treatment more difficult. Therefore, make sure to use a condom every time you have sex.

If you have HIV then it is best for you to start with the drug therapy when you get sick.

This is not true. Even after being HIV positive you may feel great and have no symptoms. But HIV makes billions of copies of itself every day and attacks your immune system. By the time you finally start feeling sick and have symptoms, HIV has already damaged your immune system and nothing can fully bring it back to normal. Therefore, to protect your immune system, most health care professionals believe you should start HIV medicines before you become ill or get any symptoms.

If you are an HIV positive then you can not have children.

This statement was true until recently. There is always a risk of transmission from mother to the baby but it is reduced significantly with the help of the treatment. As per statistics, when the right treatments are used and when a woman knows about her HIV infection early in pregnancy, then there are less than two percent chance of delivering a baby who has HIV. But without treatment, this risk is approximately 25 percent in the United States. Methods like artificial insemination and sperm washing techniques are used now but the decision of the method to be used will depend on which of the partner (male or female or both) is HIV positive. Also, preventing HIV transmission from mother to baby involves the use of anti HIV therapy. A thorough monitoring will be needed before, during and after the pregnancy.

Maximum people who get infected with HIV become seriously ill within three years.

This is a myth. After a person is infected with HIV, there is usually no change in that person's health for quite a few years. The person may feel absolutely well and is able to work as before with out showing any signs of being sick. This latency period is can be around 10 years, with an average range in some of 8 to 12 years. Rarely, a person may begin to show evidence of the infection as early as 5 years after the infection. In some people, the symptoms develop early and in some they develop late, depending on individual immune status. The only sure way to find if the person is actually affected with HIV is to perform HIV diagnostic test. The common tests done is ELISA followed by a confirmation with a Western Blot. These tests are very reliable. The earlier the tests are done, the sooner the diagnosis can be made, and the earlier the therapy can be started.

The test done immediately after an exposure will tell your HIV status.

This is not true. The standard HIV test detects for antibodies in a person's blood. Antibodies are the body's response to an infection and so, if a person has antibodies to HIV in their blood, it means they have been infected with HIV. Most of the people develop detectable HIV antibodies within 6 to 12 weeks of infection. In very rare cases, it can take up to 6 months also. It is very unlikely that someone would take longer than 6 months to develop antibodies. Therefore, getting tested earlier than 3 months may result in an unclear test result because an infected person may not have yet developed antibodies to HIV. It is best to wait for at least 3 months after the last time you were at risk before taking the test, and abstain from unprotected sex or drug use with shared needles in the meantime. Sometimes, test centers may recommend testing again at 6 months if you are at high risk of infection.

It is fine if you have further exposures during the window period, as this will not affect your test results.

This statement is false. The time between infection and the development of antibodies is called the window period. And during this window period, people infected with HIV will not have antibodies in their blood high enough to be detected by an HIV test. Also remember that someone can transmit HIV to another person during the window period even though they do not test positive on an antibody test.

Therefore, it is best to wait for at least 3 months after the last time you were at risk before taking the test. But it is very important that you are not exposed to further risk of getting infected with HIV during the window period. The test is only accurate if there are no other exposures between the time of possible exposure to HIV and testing.

People with HIV/AIDS should be sent away from the community.

This is a false statement. It is very inhuman to do so as people living with HIV/AIDS need love, support and proper health care from their families and others. HIV does not spread through casual social contact. Exposure of less than one second in air kills the HIV virus. Therefore, you do not get HIV by drinking from a glass used by someone who has HIV. You do not get HIV from a toilet seat used by an infected person. You do not get HIV from food prepared from an HIV affected person.

To stop HIV/AIDS from spreading, people must only have safe sex.

Yes, to stop HIV/AIDS from spreading people must have safe sex using a latex condom. Also they should have sex with one partner and make sure that their partner is also not having sexual contacts with anyone else. Latex condoms should be used consistently and correctly to save one from HIV.

Education, condoms, or abstinence from sex can stop the spread of AIDS/STDs.

Yes, they can but all the education and condoms in the world won't protect you if you're drunk or high on drugs. Persons under the influence of alcohol and other recreational drugs are more probable to have sex, and they tend to use condoms less often, or if they use then they don't use them correctly. So, even if you are well informed person knowing all about HIV/STD prevention, all that education will be worthless, if you get drunk, or under the effect of other recreational drugs.

HIV/AIDS is curable.

This is a myth. HIV is now considered as a chronic manageable disease like Diabetes or Hypertension. It cannot be cured but with the help of anti retro viral drugs its progress towards AIDS can be slowed down as these medicines improve the weakened immune system of the sufferer. A proper treatment will prevent the HIV patient from developing AIDS. And providing prevention and treatment for opportunistic infections will not only helps HIV-positive people to live longer and healthier lives, but this will also help prevent TB and other transmissible opportunistic infections from spreading to others. Medical researches are carried out to develop a vaccine against this notorious virus. May be some day such vaccines will be available making the life of the infected mush less complicated. Also, people who are not infected should prevent indulging in any act that can expose them this dreadful virus.