Healthyvives Health Blog

The broad introduction on myths and misconceptions of HIV/AIDS/STDs deals effectively with the inaccurate information, which is quite often believed and passed on without the authenticity of the source. In this light, you have to focus on the various routine activities that are done with the anticipation of getting infected by HIV/AIDS person out of shear fear, ignorance, anxiety etc.
Handshake (shaking hand)
The chances of getting infection through a ‘shake hand’ is minimal, as long as the skin is intact without any breaks because in adults the virus is mainly transmitted through the transfer of blood or sexual fluids. Since there is no contact of blood or sexual fluids during a casual shake hand, there are no risk involved. Sharing the same telephone with other people in your office or working side by side in a crowded factory with other infected persons and even sharing the same cup of tea, cannot transmit the infection. These acts will not expose a person to the risk of contracting the infection. Being in contact with the sweat will not transmit the infection. Extensive tests have failed to detect HIV in sweat.
Sharing a Toilet / Bathroom etc.
The chances of getting infection through the toilet seat are very remote. For this to happen there would have to be fresh infected blood on the toilet seat in contact with breaks in the skin or genitalia of the next user. Proper and clean use of the toilet can prevent this. Saliva contains HIV virus in minute amounts. Saliva also contains an enzyme that inhibits the growth of the virus. A small amount of saliva is highly unlikely to transmit the virus. It has been shown that sharing of a toothbrush or a towel is unlikely to spread the virus.
Kissing Embracing
There is no harm in kissing, embracing or caressing an infected person provided it is a normal dry kiss or a gentle hold. Risk from a dry kiss, is almost zero.
Are Contact Sports Safe?
For somebody to get infected through contact sports, blood from an infected player’s body would have to be rubbed into a wound of an uninfected player. This is extremely unlikely.
Swimming Pool/Ponds are Safe
The only way you could possibly catch HIV at a swimming pool or a pond would be if someone carrying the virus gets injured due to an abrasion caused by a hard surface and left a puddle of blood, which you stepped in, causing an injury, on the same surface.
Circumcision
There is currently no evidence linking female circumcision as a risk factor to HIV infection. The society for women and AIDS in Africa (SWAA) reports that in areas where this practice is still carried out, the prevalence of HIV is low.
Can One Get WIV on Being Raped?
Yes, it is possible. The risk can be higher because the violence used can make abrasions and bleeding more likely, creating entry points for the virus.
Can One Get HIV by Giving Blood?
No, Some people are afraid and are staying away from this noble cause to donate blood. In order to make up and fill the growing demand for blood everyday, there is an urgent need to go for voluntary blood donation. There is no risk for the donor at all, so long as all the needles are sterile.
Can One Get HIV by Receiving Blood?
The efficacy of HIV transmission through infected blood is very high (90 to 95 per cent) but transmission through this route is responsible for only about 5 per cent of the global infection. The chances of infection through blood donation is almost completely eliminated from the developed countries, due to routine testing of blood donors, coupled with the voluntary exclusion from blood donation by persons practicing high risk behaviours. It is a problem mainly in under developed countries where professional blood donation continues to exist.
Safer Sex
There is still no clear picture about the concept of ‘safer sex’ within context of HIV/AIDS/STDs among high-risk groups and general population. Abstinence from sexual activities before marriage and being j faithful to his/her spouse after marriage is the tradition of living in I Indian context. Safer sex is any sexual practice that reduces the risk of passing (transmitting) HIV from one person to another. The best 1 protection is obtained choosing sexual activities that do not allow semen, fluid from the vagina of the partner to touch the skin of the partner / where there is an open cut or sore. Sex involving a mutually faithful husband and wife is usually known as “Safe Sex” in the Indian context.
Breast Milk
A pregnant woman who has HIV in her body can pass the infection onto the baby in the womb or during birth, Experts are of the opinion that one out of three babies born to infected mothers are likely to be born infected with HIV. There has been evidence that these babies do not live longer than two to five years.
How Safe it is to go to a Dentist?
It is safe to go to a dentist. A dentist usually sterilizes or disinfects equipment after each intervention and consultation. The risk is much more for the dentist than for the patient. Every time the Dentist gives an injection or
extracts teeth there is a slight risk that they will puncture their own skin.
Living Together
A person with AIDS is in need of both physical care and psychological support from his/her family/neighborhood/society. Family members and relatives can often give the best care. At home, he/she is in well-known surroundings where he/she feels secure. The family members and relatives should be informed about the disease, how it spreads and how it doesn’t spread and should know that people with AIDS need to be touched and cared for. Families can better respond to the social and psychological needs of their infected member. In our country, the familiar bondage is very strong such that the family members and relatives take care of their sick member irrespective of diseases.