Because AIDS and the HIV virus are regarded as taboo subject, many of us are unfamiliar with the details of the condition. At the same time, numerous media sources intoxicate the viewers with ill-conceived ideas and plant the seeds of false beliefs, willingly or voluntarily.
While the following guide will attempt to summarize and debunk some of the most frequently encountered fallacies regarding AIDS, the readers should also keep in mind that there are many more out there. It suffices to say that before you take anything for granted, research the matter in order to find out whether or not there is clinical evidence supporting the theory. Let’s find out more.
1. The HIV virus spreads via air and touch
It’s only normal to be cautious and maybe just a bit paranoid when dealing with deadly conditions such as AIDS, but some people take it one step too far. Several “authorities” have emitted claims that HIV is airborne or that it can reside on the inanimate objects touched by a person who is infected with the virus. False, the condition spreads exclusively via blood, semen, the milk of a nursing mother or the vaginal fluids. Furthermore, tests revealed that not even tears, saliva or sweat make good carriers for the HIV virus. Therefore, you can safely shake hands with an HIV positive patient and you can definitely share the same exercise equipment at your local gym.
2. Modern medicine can protect me against HIV even if I don’t take precautions
Ah yes, the belief that modern medicine is equipped to deal with any condition that comes from the latest breakthroughs in antiretroviral drugs. There is some truth to it in the sense that medication can extend a patient’s life and improve his health, but it has yet to find an actual cure to AIDS. Because new strains develop all the time and they grow more and more resilient to medication, finding a permanent solution is going to be challenging even for the brilliant minds who have access to state of the art technology.
3. Mosquitoes can transmit the HIV virus
This is a logical fallacy which draws from the true premise that HIV is transmitted via blood. To put it simply, because mosquitoes are bloodsuckers, some are lead to believe that they can also act as carriers. However, the flaw of this theory is that during the bite, the mosquito will not actually transfer the blood that it has ingested from the previous victim. At the same time, these insects make lousy hosts for the viral strain and it’s lifespan in the mosquito’s system is extremely short.
4. Being diagnosed with AIDS is the end of the world
Without denying the fact that AIDS is a serious condition which will have an important impact on your life, keep in mind that modern medicine has made some progress. The antiretroviral drugs mentioned earlier will actually improve longevity and the quality of HIV positive/AIDS patients significantly. At the same time, you will be forced to make certain changes in your life in order to protect yourself and your loved ones. However, don’t be so quick to give up just yet.
5. The HIV virus was a genetically engineered biological weapon
The impending resource depletion combined with the constant increase of Earth’s population has made conspiracy theorists believe that AIDS is a biological weapon designed to kill minorities. The main reason for this misconception resides in the predominance of the HIV virus (30% of the known number of infected patients) in the Latino and African-American communities. However, the real reasons for higher infection rates actually reside in the prevalence of poverty and poor access to health care/sexual education proprietary to minorities.
6. Straight sexual preferences and a drug-free life constitute an 100% guaranteed protection
The propaganda stating that the sexual preferences of a person can determine his chances of contracting AIDS just goes to show you that statistics can prove anything. It’s entirely true that most male patients get infected during unprotected sexual encounters with a partner of the same sex or the use of injected narcotics (84% of the cases). However, don’t forget that at the same time, in 16% of the cases heterosexual contacts are the cause of the transmission. In addition, the same goes for the 78% of the female patients.
7. An HIV positive patient cannot transmit the virus during treatment
The antiretroviral medication lowers the presence of the HIV strain within the bloodstream considerably, but it does not make it disappear completely. Even though during scans it may appear to be gone, HIV is one crafty virus capable of remaining concealed in unexpected parts of the organism.
8. HIV positive sex partners have no reason to utilize protection during encounters
As mentioned earlier, HIV is not a singular, inadaptable virus strain and it’s not the same for everyone. Even though both sexual partners are infected, unprotected encounters are discouraged because there is the risk that the two strains will conjoin and evolve into a new, more aggressive and drug resistant version.
9. I can tell whether or not a person is HIV positive
You can’t see or smell the virus, there are no behavioral modifications occurring before they become active and there is no way to determine its presence before it actually does. In numerous cases the HIV-positive patients had the strain in their bloodstream for years and were completely unaware of it. The only way to find out involves getting tested.
10. Oral sex is risk free, there’s no need for protection
Again, statistics have shown that oral sex presents the lowest level of risk compared to other practices. However, because the transmission is done via semen and vaginal fluids, you can’t possibly say that it is 100% percent safe in the absence of proper protection (latex barriers). In addition to the fluid transfer that occurs during oral sex, the vascularization of genital organs during stimulation increases the chances of blood transfer from even the tiniest scratches. With that in mind, make certain that you have taken the necessary precautions in order to avoid contacting or transmitting this deadly condition.
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