In the past people would go out of their way to avoid someone with HIV because they were properly educated about how it is actually transmitted from one person to another.
This guide will be going through what HIV actually is, how you can get it and the effects it has in modern society.
Transmission
Transmission is something that many people are confused about because they just assume that it is skin to skin touching, but that is not the case.
HIV (see also ‘What Type Of Virus Is HIV?‘) is a virus like a cold or flu and works in the same way. It can be passed in through certain fluids.
These fluids need to have come from the person infected and then be inserted into your body.
Most people were under the impression that you could catch the virus from close hugging but definitely not.
This virus is only found in fluids such as blood and semen and are usually transmitted sexually. It can also be transmitted from vaginal or even breast milk.
Therefore, you definitely do not have to worry about shaking hands or hugging someone who is positive for HIV and having this mindset can make people who are positive feel really isolated and embarrassed but it should not be that way in today’s day because technology and science has moved forward.
Even though this is not something that can be cured, it is something that can be controlled. Another way that is extremely rare around the world, is catching HIV through kissing.
HIV is not usually transmitted through saliva but it is more the bleeding part of someone’s mouth that you need to be aware of.
If they have bleeding gums which can seep into their saliva, then this could be the issue as HIV can be transmitted through blood.
However, this is extremely rare because it would mean that both individuals would have to have either cuts or sores in their mouths for it to be properly transmitted.
What About Air And Liquid?
There is always the thought of whether it can also travel in the air through a sneeze or a cough but that is not the case either.
It is also the same for some bodily liquids like tears and sweat. HIV does not travel through these and it is not something to be worried about.
There is not enough evidence when it comes to wee and sick fluids but there are no reported circumstances where this has happened so far.
Anal, Oral And Vaginal
These three different sexual acts are all ways that you could transmit HIV. However, oral sex tends to be a lot less likely than the other two.
With vaginal sec there is also a much higher risk of the woman catching the virus because it can get into their tissue lining which is easier.
However, for a man, he would need to have a cut or opening on the end of his penis to be able to contract anything.
There is now medication that you can take that will reduce the chances of your partner having the deal with this virus.
However, the safest thing you can always do is just use a condom to make sure all fluids are kept separate. Anal sex is slightly different.
It will always be the person who is being penetrated that is at a higher risk from catching HIV because the semen will be flowing into them.
Therefore, if you are the one on top or bottom you should both opt for a condom to be used with lots of lubricant to make sure the condom stays in place and doesn’t snap.
What About In Public?
There are many different ways that you can catch HIV (see also ‘HIV1 And HIV2: What’s The Difference?‘) and one of them is on public toilets and using public water dispensers.
A really interesting fact is that this virus isn’t actually able to live outside of the body for very long, hence why the most common way of transmission is through sex.
You have an extremely low chance of catching it through any of these ways because it is not the correct fluid.
The thing about this virus as well, is that it also needs to get into your skin and blood stream.
Needles And Tattoos
There is definitely a chance that using the same needles and not sterelizing them can be an issue with transmission because it is going into the skin and the blood.
Therefore, you need to be careful what you are putting inside your body and what you’re sharing if that person is not taking medication for this and you’re not either.
Conclusion
Overall, this is not something you should be overly worrying about in modern society but it is always important to stay safe when having.
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