Some Misconceptions about HIV Transmission
Many people fear that HIV can be transmitted in other ways besides the well documented routes such as sexual contact and sharing needles with an infected person, infected blood transfusions, or babies born from infected mothers. Some of the more common misperceptions about HIV transmission include contracting HIV from the environment such as the air. Scientists have documented that HIV cannot survive and is unable to reproduce outside its living host therefore making the possibility of environmental transmission extremely remote. Another misperception is the ability to contract HIV from kissing, biting or through saliva, tears and sweat. Although blood can be exchanged during kissing and biting, there have been no documented cases of a person contracting HIV while conducting these behaviors. Miniscule amount of HIV have been found in tears and saliva of an infected person but the amount is so small that HIV cannot be transmitted from one person to another. A final misperception of HIV transmission is through biting and bloodsucking insects. HIV does not reproduce and does not survive in insects therefore HIV cannot be transmitted through insect bites.
Tags: aids, HIV transmission, misperceptions
