HIV AIDS Myths

HIV is a disease, which not everyone is well familiar with. Often a kind of social taboo or stigma is attached to this disease. People do not speak clearly about it nor do they clarify their doubts with someone who has enough information about this disease. There are many myths associated with HIV/AIDS and each myth is countered by a fact. Some common HIV AIDS myths are:

• Myth 1

  If a person has HIV, he would surely die

  Truth - A better knowledge of the disease has enabled the invention of several good vaccines and medicines that ensures a normal healthy life of a patient. If HIV is diagnosed early, then a good vaccine can completely negate this myth. A person dies only after AIDS, which is the final stage of HIV. A lot of medicines now exist, which nullify the chances of AIDS.

• Myth 2

  There is no medicines or treatment for HIV

  Truth - A lot of progress has been made in the last two decades to combat this disease. Though it is true that none of them is as effective as the medicines for other diseases, HIV vaccines can surely delay the initiation of AIDS.

• Myth 3

  If one has HIV and AIDS, then she cannot have children

  Truth - Women can have children. In fact, if a woman knows about her HIV infection, she can undergo a proper treatment during the early period of her pregnancy. This reduces the chances of having a HIV positive baby to just 2%!

• Myth 4

  People over 50, are safe from HIV

  Truth - People over 50 are as likely to have HIV as the other age groups.

• Myth 5

  If both the couples have HIV, they need not use condoms

  Truth - Even then, they should use condoms. It reduces the chances of further re-infection.

• Myth 6

  Only gays and drug addicts are vulnerable to AIDS

  Truth - Any risky sexual behaviour can lead to HIV, irrespective of age, colour and sexual orientation. Infants inherit it from their HIV positive mothers

• Myth 7

  Both HIV and AIDS are the same

  Truth - HIV is the virus and AIDS is the final stage of the disease caused due to the HIV virus. AIDS is rather a collection of many diseases.

• Myth 8

  One can catch AIDS because of kissing, hugging, sharing the same toilet and swimming together

  Truth - One will only have AIDS on the following reasons

  • Having sexual relation with a person with HIV
  • Piercing the same contaminated needle, which a HIV positive person has also used
  • From a HIV positive mother to her infant, during the course of pregnancy or breast-feeding
  • Gay sexual relationship
• Myth 9

  AIDS can cause due to poor standard of living and poverty

  Truth - AIDS occurs only due to the above reasons. It is however, true that unfortunately the poor people fall victim to the disease in most cases. This is because; they are the ones, who mostly indulge in the risky behaviors, as mentioned above. Educated and economically sound people are mostly familiar with the consequences of AIDS, and so they take enough precaution.

• Myth 10

  HIV is artificial to reduce the population of a particular community

  Truth - It originated in Africa due to the contamination of the human blood with the disease, when it came in touch with the infected blood of the chimps.

• Myth 11

  AIDS initiated because of sexual relation between humans and monkeys

  Truth - It initiated when human blood and monkey’s blood came in contact and got contaminated with the disease.

• Myth 12

  A person does not pass the disease, as long as he does not show any apparent symptom of the disease.

  Truth - The person may be under the window period or asymptomatic period of the HIV disease. These two phases do not show any symptoms. However, there is full possibility of the virus being transmitted.

There are many other myths associated with AIDS, like; the disease is passed only from man to women and not the vice-versa. These myths are however not true. One must consult the doctors in order the find out the truths and facts related to the disease.