Taking the contraceptive pill would prevent contracting HIV, which, in turn, might (also) be transmitted by a simple kiss. Preconceived ideas and false information that persist, and have even grown in recent years, as revealed by a recent survey produced for the Sidaction weekend. The opportunity to come back to the main preconceived ideas that are still circulating, and to debunk them (once and for all).
AIDS is gone
FAUX. Less present in the media for several years, AIDS is (unfortunately) still present. If treatments allow people with HIV to “live better”, they do not cure. Similarly, scientific advances have also reduced the death rate, but 690,000 people died of AIDS-related illnesses worldwide in 2019, according to data published by the World Health Organization. (WHO). In its latest survey conducted by Ifop, Sidaction also reveals that around 38 million people are living with HIV worldwide, and 1.7 million were infected in 2020.
HIV and AIDS are the same
FAUX. There is a difference between HIV infection and AIDS. The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can, without treatment, be responsible for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), the most advanced phase of HIV infection. In other words, a person who has AIDS is necessarily infected with HIV, whereas the opposite is not true. A person infected with HIV does not necessarily develop AIDS; hence the importance of treatments.
A person with HIV on treatment can transmit the virus
FAUX. If the condom remains essential to prevent any risk of transmission, a person taking “antiretroviral treatment every day as prescribed and [atteignant] and [maintenant] an undetectable viral load has no risk of transmitting the virus to an HIV-negative partner”, recalls AIDS Info Service. This is the famous “I = I”, namely Undetectable = Intransmissible.
Taking an oral contraceptive prevents contracting HIV
FAUX. While the condom and the pill both prevent unwanted pregnancy, they do not have the same power in terms of HIV transmission. Placed correctly and well used, the first effectively makes it possible to prevent the transmission of HIV, while the second is absolutely not a means of prevention.
HIV can be transmitted by kissing
FAUX. Misunderstandings regarding the modes of transmission die hard despite the numerous information campaigns on the subject. HIV is not transmitted by kissing, mosquito bites, using public toilets, or drinking from someone’s HIV-positive glass. To put it simply, it is not a contagious disease, so no transmission through saliva, coughing, or perspiration. “HIV is most often transmitted during unprotected sexual intercourse if there is vaginal or anal penetration, (…) through significant contact with contaminated blood when sharing injection equipment or in the event of an accident. ‘exhibition (for caregivers)’recalls Public Health France.
(ETX Daily Up)
