Unraveling the true from the false when talking about HIV / AIDS

The fight against HIV / AIDS is not won, far from it. Everyone can be affected, yet still too few people know the virus, in particular its modes of transmission. This lack of knowledge is detrimental to prevention, and above all it fuels misconceptions that are sources of discrimination, rejection, for fear of screening, which is essential to end AIDS. A clarification on different questions is therefore necessary.

An Ifop-Bilendi survey, carried out in February 2020, reveals that 26% of young people say they are badly informed about the subject. Whether you are young or older, awareness of HIV / AIDS is paramount. Thanks in particular to the fight and work of the AIDES * association, the leading association in the fight against HIV / AIDS and hepatitis in France and in Europe, the information and prevention tools, which are so necessary, are accessible. To eradicate another scourge, the ‘fake news’, an overview of the false claims we hear about HIV and AIDS.

HIV and AIDS are the same thing

FALSE

HIV and AIDS are not the same thing! On the one hand, we are talking about HIV, which is a virus: the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. And on the other, AIDS, today a common name born from the acronym of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, due to this virus.

AIDS can be easily cured

FALSE

For several years, many effective triple therapies have appeared, but we still do not cure HIV / AIDS! Advances make it possible to vivre live better ’everyday life with the virus, but it is still present in the body, even if it can be so little present that it becomes undetectable. This is why we must protect ourselves from it.

Mosquitoes can spread HIV

FALSE

No, mosquitoes do not transmit HIV When they bite, they reject saliva and not the blood they ingest. In addition, there is not enough blood on the trunk of these insects to transmit this virus.

It's not risky to kiss an HIV positive person

TRUE

There is no risk. The amount of virus in saliva is so small that the danger is zero. The virus lives inside certain cells of the body, which are present in the blood, sexual secretions (semen, seminal fluid, vaginal secretions …) and breast milk.

One of the best allies against the AIDS virus is using a condom

TRUE

Internal and external condoms, provide effective protection against HIV and sexually transmitted infections. But today, other equally effective means of protection against HIV exist! Like Prep, which is a 100% effective preventive treatment against the virus when taken properly.
Nor should we forget screening, which allows HIV-positive people to know their HIV status, to have access to treatment and ultimately, to stop transmitting the virus.
Finally, in the event of unprotected intercourse, post-exposure treatment (PEP) is available in the emergency room: it must be taken within 48 hours after intercourse and very greatly reduces the risk of infection.

You can be contaminated by perspiration

FALSE

This is completely wrong. The virus is not caught by sweating, nor by tears, because its quantity in these liquids is too low. Only blood, semen, seminal fluid (a transparent fluid that flows at the start of an erection), vaginal fluids, rectal fluid, and breast milk can transmit HIV.

Only gay men are affected

FALSE

Globally, women today make up half of all people living with HIV. The homosexual community was one of the first to be massively affected and it has largely built and carried, and still carries the fight against HIV / AIDS. There is no "population at risk", it is "practices which expose to the risks of transmission".

The morning after pill protects against HIV

FALSE

It remains an emergency contraceptive. The pill prevents pregnancy but does not protect it from the transmission of HIV in the body during unprotected sex.

We die less from AIDS today

TRUE, BUT!

Figures: 770,000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses in 2018 worldwide, 56% less than in 2004, the peak of the epidemic, according to a UNAIDS report. In our country, antiretroviral therapies have greatly reduced the death rate, but we must not claim victory. There are still too many dying of AIDS in the world, no cure is possible and there is no vaccine.

You have to wait three months before getting tested

FALSE

There are several screening methods. Today, the associations offer rapid tests (Trod) with a drop of blood taken at the fingertip, the results of which are sure 12 weeks after the report, therefore approximately 3 months. It's the same with self-tests. For a result over a shorter period, the test can be carried out in the city laboratory with a conventional blood test. The result then gives a valid result 6 weeks after the risk of exposure.

If there is a risk of exposure to HIV, post-exposure treatment accessible in the emergency room is highly recommended: it is effective within 48 hours after the report.
Screening allows people to know their HIV status, access treatment if they are found to be HIV positive, and break the chain of transmission. This is the key to stopping the epidemic!

Withdrawing before ejaculation protects against HIV

FALSE

Even without internal ejaculation, unprotected intercourse poses a risk of exposure to HIV because pre-seminal fluid (the fluid that flows from the penis before ejaculation) is a mode of transmission of the virus.

There is always a risk when having sex with an HIV positive person on treatment

FALSE

People who receive treatment and whose viral load is undetectable do not transmit the infection during sexual intercourse. The riskiest part is making love with people who believe they are HIV negative and who have not had a test recently.

You can't get HIV during oral sex

FALSE

The risks of transmission during fellatio or cunnilingus are not well known, but they exist in theory. This can be the case if a person who has oral sex, for example, has an open sore in the mouth. The virus in semen or seminal fluid then has a "gateway" into the body.

A person with HIV cannot have children

FALSE

It is quite possible to have a child when you are HIV positive. However, you must anticipate pregnancy in order to benefit from appropriate medical care and avoid the risk of transmission to the child. Thanks to the treatments available today in France, there have been no more cases of mother-to-child transmission since 2016. The cases that occurred were linked to the lack of follow-up due to ignorance of the serological status, or the lack of treatment.

To note in your diaries: visit July 4 on fetelamour.fr for an event bringing together more than 60 artists and personalities. Throughout the day and during an exceptional feature film broadcast at 9 p.m., the personalities involved will tackle the themes of desire, sex, love, and of course HIV. Come with us and say yes to love, no to HIV.

To support AIDES it is here. Your donations are essential: € 40 = 200 prevention kits distributed (a condom + a gel); € 80 = 6 HIV self-tests sent; 160 € = two people screened and accompanied ".

* AIDES has been working for 35 years with and for populations most vulnerable to HIV and hepatitis to reduce new contaminations and support those affected to care for and defend their rights. More generally, the association plays a major role in improving the care of patients in the health system in France, the development of the rights of vulnerable people and the fight against discrimination.

Bibliography:

Les jeunes, l’information et la prévention du sida

utm_source = rss & utm_medium = rss & utm_campaign = young-people-information-and-prevention-of-AIDS-3

https://www.unaids.org/fr/resources/fact-sheet

https://www.aides.org/vih-sida-c-quoi

https://www.lecrips-idf.net/ressources/documents/2/8932,Brochure-VIH2019.pdf