Myths and truth about HIV and AIDS: how can you not become infected with HIV?

Today, the topic of HIV is shrouded in many myths and misconceptions. In this article, you will learn about the most common ones, and also find out why none of this is true.

Myths about HIV and its treatment

Myth: HIV does not cause AIDS

Reality : HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) causes AIDS. AIDS cannot be caused by drugs, government conspiracies, or anything other than a virus. If you have AIDS, you have HIV. If you don't have HIV, you cannot get AIDS. This has been supported by over 25 years of scientific evidence.

Myth: HIV and AIDS were invented

Reality: There is no evidence that HIV or AIDS was invented in a laboratory. HIV and AIDS are not caused by drugs, antibiotics or mosquito bites. HIV is one of many viruses that are transmitted through body fluids, including blood, semen, vaginal secretions and breast milk.

Myth: HIV is a death sentence

Reality : Once upon a time this was actually true. In the 1980s and early '90s, little was known about how to treat people living with HIV or AIDS. Due to lack of knowledge, lack of effective medications and fear, many people diagnosed with HIV and AIDS have died. But today, fortunately, this is no longer the case. There are now more and more drugs for HIV in the world, so people who adhere to treatment and take care of their bodies can live long and fulfilling lives with HIV .

Myth: There is a cure for HIV/AIDS

Reality : cure for HIV yet , although research is being conducted around the world to find one. One example is the Berlin patient. A man diagnosed with HIV in 1995 received HIV-resistant stem cells for a bone marrow transplant in 2007. After this operation, it was reported that HIV was not detected in the man’s body. The Berlin patient is a rare, unique case because there is currently no universal cure for HIV.

Myth: AIDS doesn't kill people, but the drugs they take

Reality : Anti-HIV drugs, known as antiretrovirals, do not cure HIV, but they can help people stay healthy for years to come. People were actually dying from AIDS much earlier than combination antiretroviral drugs became available. However, since combination antiretroviral therapy for HIV began in 1996, the average life expectancy of people living with HIV has increased. In addition, mortality rates have decreased among people living with HIV who receive combination antiretroviral treatment. Unfortunately, in extremely rare cases, HIV medications can cause side effects that can be life-threatening for some people. The good news is that many of the new HIV medications have few side effects and are easy to take.

Myth: New HIV drugs are so strong that you can stop taking them for a while

Reality: Some people are tempted to stop taking their HIV medications for a short time because they feel well, have problems with side effects, or simply want a break from the reminder that they live with HIV every day. However, research has shown that interrupting treatment can cause problems. Even temporarily stopping HIV medications can:

give the virus the opportunity to multiply and cause an increase in the viral load;
give the virus a chance to develop resistance to your HIV medications so they no longer work;
lead to a decrease in CD4 cell counts and a weakened immune system.

Several studies have shown that continuing to take your HIV medications as directed is a way to stay healthy for as long as possible.

Myths about HIV infection

Myth: People with HIV or AIDS look sick

Reality : Often people living with HIV do not look or feel sick. Many of them don't even know they have the virus. Taking an HIV test is the only way to find out your HIV status. In the vast majority of cases, it is simply impossible to guess the diagnosis by a person’s appearance.

Myth: People with a heterosexual orientation are not at risk of contracting HIV.

Reality : The majority of people living with HIV around the world are straight. Men transmit HIV to women, and women to men.

Myth: I'm safe because I'm in a monogamous relationship (or married)

Reality: Because people living with HIV often don't "look sick," it's important to know your partner's HIV status before you have unprotected sex with them. In an ideal world, if you and your partner remained monogamous and tested negative for HIV after a three-month interval since your last possible contact, unprotected sex would be safe. However, if your partner is living with HIV and not taking medication, has sex outside the relationship, or is sexually faithful but injects drugs and shares needles or drug equipment, you are at risk of contracting HIV. Please do not confuse love or trust with safety from HIV.

Myth: HIV can be transmitted through tears, sweat, mosquitoes, puddles or casual contact

Reality: HIV is only transmitted through contaminated blood, semen, vaginal secretions and breast milk. The most common ways of transmitting HIV are through unprotected sex and/or sharing needles with a person living with HIV. HIV can also be transmitted from mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding.

Myth: I can't have a child because I have HIV.

Reality: With proper health care and HIV treatment, women can have healthy pregnancies . There are many things you can do to prevent passing HIV to your partner and your baby. Advances in HIV treatment have significantly reduced the chances that a mother will pass HIV to her child. If a mother takes HIV medications as prescribed and the virus is suppressed (low levels of virus in the blood), the chances of HIV spreading to the baby are one in one hundred, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Myth: You can have sex without condoms if both partners have HIV.

Reality: Unprotected sex between two people living with HIV can result in one or both of them becoming infected with a different strain or type of HIV. This is often called reinfection. This can happen even if the partner you are currently with is the person who originally gave you the virus. HIV changes differently in each person's body over time. Different strains of HIV can be resistant to drugs, making it difficult for treatment to work and stay healthy. Practicing safe sex protects you from becoming infected again and from contracting other STDs.