AIDS myths finally busted and explained

According to the World Health Organisation, at the end of 2016 there were nearly 37-million people in the world living with AIDS. The treatments for HIV and AIDS have rapidly advanced, however, sadly, there are still quite a few attitudes, due to lack of knowledge, which need to be changed. 

Read: KZN Health MEC urges youth to donate blood

Here are some busted myths about AIDS which many need to take the time to digest:

Read - World AIDS Day: South Africa's most prominent AIDS activists

Myth: AIDS and HIV are one in the same

Even though people may talk about HIV and AIDS like they are one and the same, they are definitely not the same thing. HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. AIDS stands for Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, which is the most advanced stage of HIV. 

Myth: Kissing and physical contact with someone with the virus isn't safe

HIV cannot be spread from kissing or any physical contact. The risk will increase only if one or both of the parties with the virus have bleeding gums or exchange blood.

Myth: Contracting the virus is a death sentence

Treatments for HIV / AIDS have advanced and there are many cases where people are on treatment plans and are healthy and very much alive. 

Myth: If you have HIV, you cannot bear children

There are treatments that can be used to prevent transmission of the HIV virus between mother and child. This means that if one partner - or both, is HIV positive, they can have a perfectly healthy HIV negative child. 

Myth: Only members of the gay community can contract the virus

HIV can affect anyone – it doesn’t matter if you are heterosexual or homosexual. As long as you don't have sex without a condom with many partners, your risk of contracting HIV will dramatically decrease. Always wear a condom!