Moneycontrol News December 1, 2023
HIV isn't spread through touch, tears, sweat, saliva, or pee. You can't catch it by – breathing the same air – touching a toilet seat or door handle – drinking from a water fountain – hugging, kissing, or shaking hands – sharing eating utensils You can get it from infected blood, semen, vaginal fluid, or breast milk.
Several studies show that blood-sucking insects do not transmit HIV. When bugs bite, they don't inject the blood of the person or animal they bit before you. Also, HIV lives for only a short time inside them.
It is a myth that those diagnosed with HIV will die in a few months. With the help of medicines for long-term viral suppression, patients can live for several years.
It is a myth that medicines taken before intercourse can prevent transmission of HIV. Using pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) can minimise the risk, but does not eliminate it. PrEP is a medicine people at risk for HIV take to prevent getting HIV from sex or injection drug use.
It is a myth that the virus-infected person undergoing treatment cannot spread the virus. A person carrying HIV can still be infectious despite treatment though treatments can lower the amount of virus to a negligible level.
It is a myth that blood transfusions increase the risk of HIV. With recent stringent precautions and testing the risk now is almost zero.
Children born to HIV-positive women cannot invariably be HIV-positive. The risk of transmission of the virus to new-borns, however, can be brought down to less than 2 percent with antiretroviral treatment and C-section and by taking other precautionary measures.
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