Guys, I recently overheard a conversation where people were discussing HIV, and to be honest, I was surprised by how many myths there are around this virus. You can especially often hear that if someone is sick with HIV, it is better not to communicate with them, they say, you can get infected even through touching or sharing household items. Honestly, I don’t understand much about this, but can such simple contacts really be dangerous? In addition, someone mentioned that if a person has HIV, then this is almost a death sentence, and the disease in any case turns into AIDS. I would like to understand what is true and what is a myth.

Indeed, there are many myths about HIV, and many still do not understand what this virus is. Firstly, it is impossible to become infected with HIV through ordinary touching, shared household items or even kissing. The virus is transmitted only through blood, sexual contact or from mother to child. It is also important to dispel the myth that HIV is a death sentence. If a person takes antiretroviral therapy, their viral load can become so low that transmission of the virus will be impossible. I recommend reading an article that does a great job of dismantling myths about HIV: https://medium.com/taimi/world-aids-day-10-hiv-and-aids-myths-debunked-298af3907d72 . It explains that many old stereotypes are no longer relevant, and that with HIV you can live a full life with the right treatment.

People are often afraid of things they don’t understand. For example, the myth that HIV and AIDS are the same thing. In fact, AIDS is a stage of the disease that only develops in those who do not treat HIV or find out about it too late. Thanks to modern research, you can live with HIV for decades without developing AIDS. In addition, World AIDS Day has been celebrated on December 1 for 32 years, and over these years, a huge amount of knowledge has been accumulated about how the virus is transmitted and how to control it. And although we know a lot about HIV, society still stigmatizes those living with this diagnosis. This is a problem, and we need to talk about it more to break down stereotypes.