MYTHS AND FACTS ABOUT HIV



            
NAME: GIDEON SALIM
REG NO: DBMA-01-0701/2017
UNIT: HIV & AIDS
Assignment 1 repeat
MYTHS AND MISCONCEPTION OF HIV & AIDS
There are lots of myths and misconceptions about how you can get HIV. Some of them are:
1.    You can get HIV from casual contact (shaking hands, hugging, using a toilet, drinking from the same glass as someone who is HIV-infected, or being close to an infected person who is sneezing or coughing) - the fact is HIV is not transmitted by day-to-day contact in social settings, schools or in the workplace. You cannot be infected by shaking someone’s hand, by hugging someone, by using the same toilet or drinking from the same glass as an HIV-infected person, nor by being exposed to coughing or sneezing by an infected person.
2.     When you are on antiretroviral therapy, you cannot transmit the virus to others.- Fact: While antiretroviral therapy reduces the risk of transmission, it does not completely prevent an infected person from passing on the virus to others. Therapy can keep viral load down to undetectable levels, but HIV is still present in the body and there is a small chance that it can be transmitted to others through sexual contact, by sharing injecting equipment, or by mothers breastfeeding their infants. Antiretroviral therapy should be used in combination with condoms and proper disposal of injecting equipment to prevent transmission.
3.     HIV can be transmitted through mosquito bites- FACT: HIV is not spread by mosquitoes or other biting insects. Even if the virus enters a mosquito or another sucking or biting insect, it cannot reproduce in insects. Since the insect cannot be infected with HIV, it cannot transmit HIV to the next human it feeds on or bites.
4.    You can tell someone has HIV just by looking at them- FACT: You cannot tell if someone has HIV by just looking at them. A person infected with HIV may look healthy and feel good, but they can still pass the virus to you. A blood test is the only way a person can find out if he or she is infected with HIV.
5.    One can get HIV through Masturbation- FACT-Mutual masturbation, fingering and hand-jobs are all safe from HIV. However, if you use sex toys make sure you use a new condom when switching between partners.
6.    A person can be infected through Tattoos and Piercings- FACT: There is only a risk if the needle used by the professional has been used in the body of an HIV-infected person and not sterilized afterwards. However, most practitioners are required to use new needles for each new client.
7.    An HIV positive mother cannot have children-FACT: HIV-infected women remain fertile, although in late stages of HIV disease a pregnant woman may have a higher risk of having a miscarriage. Normally, the risk of transmitting HIV to the unborn child is between 15 and 30%. However, this may be reduced to just 2–3% if patients carefully follow medical guidelines.
8.    HIV can be cured-FACT: There is no cure for HIV. With treatment, HIV-positive individuals can control the virus and live long, healthy lives. With the appropriate medication and treatment regimen, HIV-positive individuals can lower the amount of HIV in their system to “undetectable” levels, however the virus is still present.
9.    If both partners are HIV positive there is no need for a condom-Fact: Not all strains of HIV are the same, and being infected with more than one can lead to greater complications, or a “super infection,” The new HIV strain may exhibit a different drug resistance profile than the original HIV infection,” he explains. “And the new virus may show resistance to the current treatment, or cause the current treatment option to be ineffective.”
10.  You can protect yourself from getting HIV by showering after having unprotected sex with an infected person or taking emergency contraceptive pills. FACT: if you are having sex the only methods of HIV prevention which will protect you from HIV Are condoms and Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PREP)
11.  It’s easy to tell the symptoms of HIV-FACT: The symptoms of HIV can differ from person-to-person and some people may not get any symptoms at all. Without treatment, the virus will get worse over time and damage your immune system. There are three stages of HIV infection with different possible effects. You also cannot tell by looking at someone if they have HIV. Many people don't show signs of any symptoms. And, for people living with HIV who are on effective treatment, they are just as likely to be as healthy as everyone else.
12.  You can’t spread AIDS when you are taking treatment-FACT: When HIV treatments work well, they can reduce the amount of virus in your blood to a level so low that it doesn't show up in blood tests. Research shows, however, that the virus is still "hiding" in other areas of the body. It is still essential to practice safe sex so you won't infect someone else.




              ZETECH UNIVERSITY
NAME: GIDEON SALIM
REG NO: DBMA-01-0701/2017
UNIT: HIV & AIDS
Assignment 1 repeat
MYTHS AND MISCONCEPTION OF HIV & AIDS
There are lots of myths and misconceptions about how you can get HIV. Some of them are:
1.    You can get HIV from casual contact (shaking hands, hugging, using a toilet, drinking from the same glass as someone who is HIV-infected, or being close to an infected person who is sneezing or coughing) - the fact is HIV is not transmitted by day-to-day contact in social settings, schools or in the workplace. You cannot be infected by shaking someone’s hand, by hugging someone, by using the same toilet or drinking from the same glass as an HIV-infected person, nor by being exposed to coughing or sneezing by an infected person.
2.     When you are on antiretroviral therapy, you cannot transmit the virus to others.- Fact: While antiretroviral therapy reduces the risk of transmission, it does not completely prevent an infected person from passing on the virus to others. Therapy can keep viral load down to undetectable levels, but HIV is still present in the body and there is a small chance that it can be transmitted to others through sexual contact, by sharing injecting equipment, or by mothers breastfeeding their infants. Antiretroviral therapy should be used in combination with condoms and proper disposal of injecting equipment to prevent transmission.
3.     HIV can be transmitted through mosquito bites- FACT: HIV is not spread by mosquitoes or other biting insects. Even if the virus enters a mosquito or another sucking or biting insect, it cannot reproduce in insects. Since the insect cannot be infected with HIV, it cannot transmit HIV to the next human it feeds on or bites.
4.    You can tell someone has HIV just by looking at them- FACT: You cannot tell if someone has HIV by just looking at them. A person infected with HIV may look healthy and feel good, but they can still pass the virus to you. A blood test is the only way a person can find out if he or she is infected with HIV.
5.    One can get HIV through Masturbation- FACT-Mutual masturbation, fingering and hand-jobs are all safe from HIV. However, if you use sex toys make sure you use a new condom when switching between partners.
6.    A person can be infected through Tattoos and Piercings- FACT: There is only a risk if the needle used by the professional has been used in the body of an HIV-infected person and not sterilized afterwards. However, most practitioners are required to use new needles for each new client.
7.    An HIV positive mother cannot have children-FACT: HIV-infected women remain fertile, although in late stages of HIV disease a pregnant woman may have a higher risk of having a miscarriage. Normally, the risk of transmitting HIV to the unborn child is between 15 and 30%. However, this may be reduced to just 2–3% if patients carefully follow medical guidelines.
8.    HIV can be cured-FACT: There is no cure for HIV. With treatment, HIV-positive individuals can control the virus and live long, healthy lives. With the appropriate medication and treatment regimen, HIV-positive individuals can lower the amount of HIV in their system to “undetectable” levels, however the virus is still present.
9.    If both partners are HIV positive there is no need for a condom-Fact: Not all strains of HIV are the same, and being infected with more than one can lead to greater complications, or a “super infection,” The new HIV strain may exhibit a different drug resistance profile than the original HIV infection,” he explains. “And the new virus may show resistance to the current treatment, or cause the current treatment option to be ineffective.”
10.  You can protect yourself from getting HIV by showering after having unprotected sex with an infected person or taking emergency contraceptive pills. FACT: if you are having sex the only methods of HIV prevention which will protect you from HIV Are condoms and Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PREP)
11.  It’s easy to tell the symptoms of HIV-FACT: The symptoms of HIV can differ from person-to-person and some people may not get any symptoms at all. Without treatment, the virus will get worse over time and damage your immune system. There are three stages of HIV infection with different possible effects. You also cannot tell by looking at someone if they have HIV. Many people don't show signs of any symptoms. And, for people living with HIV who are on effective treatment, they are just as likely to be as healthy as everyone else.
12.  You can’t spread AIDS when you are taking treatment-FACT: When HIV treatments work well, they can reduce the amount of virus in your blood to a level so low that it doesn't show up in blood tests. Research shows, however, that the virus is still "hiding" in other areas of the body. It is still essential to practice safe sex so you won't infect someone else.


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