HIV myths persist despite campaigns

The survey found Gen Y still believes they can get HIV from mosquito bites. (ABC News: Jessica Tapp)

An online survey in New South Wales has found members of Generation Y still believe they can get HIV from sharing cups, hugging and mosquito bites, despite more than 20 years of campaigns to dispel the myths.

The survey released ahead of World AIDS Day on December 1 asked 18 to 29-year-olds what behaviours they thought were high risk for contracting HIV and why they were not concerned about getting the virus.

The survey found that even though participants believed they could get the virus through social contact, 84 per cent were not worried about getting HIV themselves.

More than half believed they could get HIV from blood transfusions while 43 per cent believed they could get HIV from mosquito bites.

Dr Catriona Ooi, the director of Sexual Health Services in the Hunter New England area of NSW, says the statistics are alarming.

"HIV cannot live inside the mosquito for a long time and it doesn't reproduce or replicate so mosquitoes can't transmit to other human beings," she said.

"All blood in New South Wales and certainly in Australia is screened for HIV and other blood-borne viruses."

Dr Roger Garsia, the chair of the NSW Ministerial Advisory Committee on HIV and STIs, says they are conscious that young people in particular are at risk.

"The data shows that the brunt of the HIV epidemic with respect to new infections worldwide is borne by young people, and the situation in Australia is still very much that most of the new infections are occurring in people under the age of 40," he said.