Top 10 HIV Myths

Shortly after HIV/AIDS hit the scene, rumours about it flew throughout the world. “You can get it by kissing.” “You can get it by holding hands.” “It is airborne.”

Throughout the years, most of the HIV myths have been dispelled, but it seems as though there are still a few rumors afloat. Since more than half of all new HIV infections occur in the African community, these myths may be standing in the way of proper protection. See if you can sort the truth from the most common myths about HIV.

1. If you test positive for HIV, you will inevitably die from AIDS.

FALSE. In the early years, an HIV diagnosis often meant the infected person would develop AIDS and die from complications of the disease within a matter of years, but this is no longer true. Medications, combined with lifestyle changes and complementary therapies that support the body’s ability to keep the virus in check, can keep an HIV-infected person from developing AIDS or the fatal complications associated with it for many years, or even a lifetime.

2. You can catch HIV from a toilet seat.

FALSE. The HIV virus cannot be transmitted by casual contact, from a toilet seat, a doorknob, a fork, or a handshake, for that matter. The only known HIV transmission methods include unprotected sex, intravenous drug use, exposure to blood or bodily fluids from an infected person, from mother to child in pregnancy, and through blood transfusions if the blood came from an HIV infected person. (Transmission of the virus did happen through blood transfusions or blood products in the 1980s before HIV testing became routine for all donated blood, but is highly unlikely to happen in a modern medical facility.)

3. There is no cure for HIV.

TRUE. There are medications available to suppress the virus in infected individuals and to lower their viral load. Such treatments can prolong or prevent the development of AIDS for years or even a lifetime. However, researchers have not found a cure for HIV that would eliminate the virus from an infected person’s body entirely.

4. People have been infected with HIV from taking the HIV test itself.
FALSE. Some claim that the HIV test itself can give you the virus. But unless a clinic reuses a needle that was previously used on someone with HIV (a highly unlikely scenario that has never been reported), there is no way that testing for HIV could cause the infection.

5. You can spread or get HIV through oral sex.

TRUE. One myth HIV experts often hear is that HIV can’t be spread or contracted through oral sex. This is not true. If the person performing oral sex has a cut or abrasion in their mouth and comes in contact with HIV-infected bodily fluids, they can become infected with the virus just as they could having unprotected vaginal or anal sex. Using a dental dam or condom during oral sex greatly diminishes this risk.

6. If both you and your partner have HIV, it's safe to have unprotected sex with one another.

FALSE. If you and your partner both test positive for the HIV virus, that doesn’t mean you can ignore the diagnosis or live life just as you did before your diagnosis. To best decrease your odds of developing AIDS, you should both work closely with a medical professional to manage the illness. You also both need to take whatever precautions you can to prevent exposing others to the HIV virus. This includes not having unprotected sex or sharing needles with anyone, taking proper precautions to contain and warn others about exposure to your bodily fluids (such as when you're bleeding), and following any other advice from your HIV care team. Nobody with HIV can afford to ignore his or her diagnosis for their own sake, or for the sake of others who could be exposed to the virus.

7. Mosquitoes can spread HIV.

FALSE. While mosquitoes can spread a number of illnesses such as West Nile Virus or malaria, there are no known cases of HIV transmission through mosquito bites. If mosquitoes could transmit the HIV virus, there would be many more cases among young children, adolescents and other people who would otherwise be at low risk for HIV exposure.

8. You could have HIV and not know it.
TRUE. People who are infected with HIV don’t necessarily “feel” sick; it's possible to have the HIV virus for some time before developing any symptoms. HIV testing is the only way to determine whether someone has HIV or not.

9. If you're taking medication for HIV, you can’t spread the virus.
FALSE. Even while taking medication, a person with HIV can still infect others if they have unprotected sex, share needles, or expose others to their blood or other bodily fluids.

10. HIV and AIDS may not be caused by the same virus.
FALSE. Some claim HIV and AIDS are not caused by the same virus. This is not true. Without treatment, the HIV virus will probably progress to acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), which is essentially a collapse of the immune system. However, with HIV treatment, most people living with the virus are able to prolong or prevent the development of AIDS.


reference: www.chicagobooth.edu

Vaginal gel cuts HIV-infections by half

A vaginal gel has significantly cut the rate of women contracting HIV from infected partners in an experiment in South Africa.The gel containing Aids drug tenofovir and reduces infection rates among 889 women by 50% after one year of use, and by 39% after two and a half years.

If the results are confirmed it would be the first time that a microbicidal gel has been shown to be effective.Such a gel could be a defence for women whose partners refuse to wear condoms.New ways of curbing the spread of HIV are badly needed, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where nearly 60% of those infected with the virus are women.Many women are often forced to take part in unsafe sex, and are biologically more vulnerable to HIV infection than men, making a gel they apply an attractive option.Welcoming the results, UN agencies said they would convene an expert consultation in South Africa next month to discuss the next steps with the product.

Hope for women

It's the first time a microbicide gives positive that is statistically significant. The researchers say women who used the gel also showed a significant reduction in genital herpes, a common sexually transmitted infection, which itself increases the risk of HIV infection. The UN's HIV/Aids agency noted that nearly 20 years of research had gone into microbicides that can be controlled by a woman, independent of her partner.

This gives hope to women and for the first time ever there are results for a woman-initiated and controlled HIV prevention option.this microbicide would be a powerful option for the prevention revolution and help would help break the trajectory of the Aids epidemic.

Clinical trials are going to be carried out to cofirm results and once they have been shown to be safe and effective, WHO will work with countries and partners to accelerate access to these products.


Reference: BBC health

Focus: Ghana - Afrox (Africa-Oxford) Cancer Foundation

Cancer already causes more deaths each year worldwide than HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria combined. By 2020 there are expected to be 16 million new cases of cancer every year, 70 per cent of which will be in developing countries, which are least prepared to address the growing cancer burden. African countries are the least able of all developing countries to cope, having few cancer care services. Lack of resources and basic infrastructure mean that most Africans have no access to cancer screening

AfrOx's mission is to partner with African countries and assist them with implementing comprehensive cancer prevention and control programmes. AfrOx believes that by forging alliances of individuals, NGOs and governments to share expertise, technology, training and a degree of philanthropic support, much could be done to help reduce global disparities in cancer care.

AfrOx is currently working in Ghana. The four most common cancers in Ghana are liver, prostate, breast and cervical. At present, Ghana has only two oncology centres, one in the capital Accra and one in Kumasi. There are only 4 oncologists for a population of 22 million and no specialist cancer nurses. With your support, we hope to continue our programmes in the following areas:

- Support for national cancer care planning.
- Provision of training and education for healthcare staff.
- Improvement in palliative care.
- The early diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
- Raising public awareness of the early signs of cancer and methods of cancer prevention.

To learn more about Afrox, to donate, or to read Hajiya Turai's speech commending their effort then visit www.afrox.org

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy in Benin

Bruni-Sarkozy has become the ambassador for the Global Fund for HIV/Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The first lady of France has personally taken up the cause of protecting babies from becoming infected with HIV by their mothers at birth. There could hardly be a better, more important issue. She expresses real passion at the plight of women, who can be thrown out of doors by their husbands if they test positive for HIV (often it is the husbands who gave them the infection in the first place). And who could be anything but appalled at the thought that such women could then be double damned – by passing on the deadly virus to their children.

You can use beauty and celebrity to sell anything. Maybe Bruni-Sarkozy's will help to awaken the wealthy world to the tragedy of mothers with HIV and their babies.

Reference:

Photo: John Rae/The Global Fund

Sarah boseley, Guardian.co.uk