Identify and dispel five common myths associated with HIV transmission.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Scientific and epidemiological evidence shows that the chances are essentially zero of acquiring HIV from an environmental surface (e.g., toilet seat), from nonsexual household or other-settings contact with an HIV-infected person, from typical social contact (e.g., hugging, shaking hands), from food-serving establishments, from closed-mouth or social kissing, from insect (e.g., mosquito) bites, from sport-participation accidents involving blood, or from donating blood. Contact with the saliva (e.g., being spit on by an HIV-infected person), tears, or sweat from an HIV-infected person has never been shown to result in transmission of the virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) knows of no instances of HIV being transmitted through tattooing or body piercing, although hepatitis B virus has been transmitted during some of these procedures. Also, being bitten by an HIV-infected person is not a common method of transmitting HIV. Of the few reports in the medical literature in which HIV appeared to be transmitted by a bite, severe trauma with extensive tissue tearing and damage and the presence of blood were reported. There is no risk of transmission if the skin is not broken. Also, reports are extremely rare of HIV transmission from contact between broken skin, wounds, or mucus and HIV-infected blood or blood-contaminated body fluids.