Myths and Facts

MYTH - HIV is the same as AIDS
FACT: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is what you become infected with if you become positive. It attacks the immune system, which can lead to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). AIDS is not a disease, but a condition that causes the immune system to become so weak that it can no longer fight off diseases or infections. You can be HIV positive without having AIDS; in fact, most positive people are.

MYTH - You can always tell when someone's got it
FACT: You can’t. HIV positive people come in all shapes and sizes. You can’t tell if someone’s HIV positive by their age, clothes, weight, facial features or number of tattoos.

MYTH - Positive people always tell you their status
FACT: They don’t. In fact most positive people are unlikely to disclose their status, especially to people they don’t know that well, and that includes casual sexual partners. There are many reasons why someone may choose not to share their HIV status with somebody else, even if asked. An HIV diagnosis is a very personal matter for most positive people, especially if they don’t want their family, employers or other people generally to know.

MYTH - If someone has unprotected sex with someone they met in a bar, they’re bound to be HIV positive
FACT: Lots of people in bars are HIV-negative, or untested. And lots of negative and untested men and women have unprotected sex with people they meet in bars. But the opposite can also be true.

MYTH - If someone has unprotected sex in a bedroom they’re bound to be HIV negative
FACT: It would be very convenient if only ‘sleazy’ people were HIV positive and romantic people were always HIV negative, but let’s face it, it’s so easy to think it’s someone else’s problem. If someone wants to have unprotected sex with you, or vice versa, don’t assume anything about their HIV status. The chances are pretty good that you’re going to be wrong.

MYTH - If they find out you’re positive, everyone will shun you
FACT: Yes, some people are prejudiced and afraid of things they don’t understand. But on the whole, when people find out you are HIV positive they will be understanding and supportive. On your part, if someone you know, whether it is a friend, partner, relative, buddy or colleague told you that they’re HIV positive, it’s important to continue to understand what they are going through, and show your support and concern for them.

MYTH - All HIV positive people are on medication
FACT: Not everyone who is HIV positive is on medication. People with HIV have their health monitored on a regular basis by their Doctors. The human body can put up a good fight against HIV for a number of years (sometimes 7 – 10 years) before the immune system starts to be overloaded. When this appears to be happening, the Doctor will assess the situation and possibly recommend going on HIV medication, or HAART (Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Treatment).

MYTH - There is a cure for HIV
FACT: There isn’t.

MYTH - There is a vaccine for HIV
FACT: There isn’t. Vaccines work by infecting the body with a less potent form of a virus. The immune system develops anti-bodies that attack the virus and get rid of it. If, at a later stage, a more potent form of the virus enters the body, the anti-bodies recognise it, and kill it, not giving it enough time to take hold. This only works for viruses that are pretty much recognisable in all their different forms. HIV is famous for being a virus that mutates easily – meaning that many different strains of it exist in the world, with more showing up every year. An effective vaccine for HIV would have to recognise all of the strains to completely protect someone from infection – and this is proving to be nearly impossible. There is still hope, however, as new discoveries into how HIV operates are being made all the time.

MYTH– No one dies of HIV anymore
FACT: Although combination therapies have been very successful in treating people living with HIV, not everyone can take the drugs. Many experience very severe side-effects. And even those who can take the therapies may not be able to take them forever. The drugs are very toxic and extended use can lead to liver failure, a common cause of death in positive people. Also, after a long time taking a drug, it may become less effective and a good alternative may not be available. Millions of people globally every year die of AIDS-related illness.

MYTH: "I don't have to worry about AIDS because I'm not gay."
FACT: Heterosexual intercourse is the primary mode of (HIV) transmission worldwide.

MYTH: "You can't get AIDS from oral sex."
FACT: HIV is transmitted through all forms of unprotected sex, including oral, vaginal and anal. And it doesn't matter whether the sexual act is being performed by a man or a woman.

MYTH: "Shooting up is the only way drugs lead to AIDS."
FACT: While sharing needles remains one of the surest ways to get HIV, any drug use can put you at risk for the virus by altering your behavior and allowing you to do things you normally wouldn't. Remember, steroids, pot (marijuana), crack and alcohol all fall under this category.

Myth: If you already have HIV, you can just pop a few pills (drug cocktails) and the symptoms will just go away.
Fact: There's no question that we have come a long way in treating HIV. The drug cocktails do help a lot of people. But they don't work for everyone. And they don't work if you don't take them EXACTLY as prescribed. A person must take many pills every day, in order for them to work. Forgetting to take one's medication can quickly lead to drug resistance. And these drugs have a lot of side effects that can make you sick. We are already starting to see drug treatment failures in some people who are taking drug cocktails.

Myth: Education, condoms, or abstinence from sex, is all it takes to stop the spread of AIDS/STDs.
Fact: All the education and condoms in the world won't protect you if you're drunk or high on drugs. And let's face it. There is a very high rate of alcoholism and drug abuse in many countries. When you're drunk from alcohol, or high on drugs (like crank, speed, pot, cocaine, etc.), you tend to put yourself at risk for HIV and STDs, when normally you would not. Persons under the influence of alcohol and other recreational drugs, are more likely to have sex, they tend to use condoms less often, or they don't use them correctly. So even if a person knows all about HIV/STD prevention, all that education will be worthless, if they get drunk, or high from other recreational drugs.

Myth: "Who cares about other STDs? They cannot kill you and you can cure them!"
Fact: While some STDs are curable, others are not. For example, hepatitis B is incurable and potentially fatal. Herpes and genital warts are also incurable. Syphilis left untreated is deadly. We have to start thinking about prevention against other STDs as well. After all, do you want painful warts and herpes lesions on your genitals or on your rectum? And do you want to die from hepatitis?

Myth: The number of people who are infected with HIV is going down.
Fact: Actually, just the opposite is true. The number of people who are infected with HIV is going up. What has been going down, is the number of new cases of AIDS in the USA, and the death rate due to AIDS in developed nations. What's the difference? There is an average of 10 years from the time a person is infected with HIV, until a diagnosis of AIDS. AIDS statistics therefore tell us how many people were becoming infected an average of 10 years ago, and how they became infected 10 years ago. So prevention efforts 10 years ago, is what is leading to a decrease in new AIDS cases today.
Also, better treatments are keeping people healthier and living longer, thus slowing down the progression from infection to full-blown AIDS, and also, reducing the death rate from AIDS. But when we look at HIV statistics (that is, how people are becoming infected today, and how many are living with HIV), the numbers are going up. This is due to a combination of two factors. First, the number of new cases of HIV infection is remaining relatively stable. Along with that, people who already have HIV/AIDS are living longer. When we combine these two factors, the number of people living with HIV are growing.
So although the rates of new cases of AIDS, and the death rate due to AIDS is decreasing in developed nations, the number of people living with HIV is increasing! Also remember that in developing nations (such as those found in Africa and Asia), both the number of new cases of AIDS, and the number of deaths due to AIDS, are still increasing.