AIDS, or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, is a misunderstood condition. Even today, a lot of people still have questions, such as “Can AIDS be transmitted through saliva?” or “Would I get AIDS by being in contact with someone who has it?”
This is why it is important to educate people on what AIDS and also what HIV is, how these diseases can spread, and clear up any myths or misinformation surrounding these conditions.
What is AIDS?
AIDS is a complication of HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus. As the name suggests, HIV is a virus that weakens the immune system, causing people with this condition to be more vulnerable to infections that are usually harmless for most people.
HIV progresses into AIDS if a patient doesn’t take HIV medication. What happens is that the virus starts to spread throughout the body, and it further destroys the immune system. This means that something as simple as a cold can become a life-threatening condition to someone with AIDS.
Thankfully, there are now ways to slow down or even halt the progression of HIV. By undergoing antiretroviral therapy, which involves taking medication everyday, people with HIV can live a long and healthy life.
What antiretroviral therapy does is it keeps the virus in check, and stops it from multiplying in the body. While this can’t cure HIV, it does keep it under control and keeps the person healthy. With proper treatment, HIV doesnt have to progress to AIDS.
In fact, some people have an undetectable viral load after years of therapy. What this means is that they are still HIV-positive, but the amount of virus in the system is negligible, and won’t significantly affect their health.
Can AIDS be Transmitted Through Saliva?
Now, to tackle the question of “Can AIDS be transmitted through saliva?”, the short answer is no. Kissing a person with HIV or AIDS, sharing a cup or utensils, etc. cannot infect another person with the disease. And to be pedantic about it, a person can’t even get infected with AIDS outright, because AIDS is a complication of HIV.
This means that you can safely have physical contact with an HIV-positive person without any effects. However, there are other ways that people do get infected with HIV.
How Do People Get Infected?
HIV is an infectious disease, but not in the ways that some people might think. Some people think that it can be passed on through physical contact, or through sweat and saliva, but these are all untrue.
The main way that people get infected with HIV is through unprotected sex with someone who has the condition. This is because semen, vaginal fluids, and rectal fluids carry the virus. What happens is that these fluids pass through mucus membranes such as the opening of the penis, vagina, and rectum, and can cause an infection.
In rare cases, people can also get infected if they receive a blood transfusion from a person who is HIV positive. Pregnant mothers can also pass on HIV to their babies during pregnancy, and also through breastfeeding.
How Can You Protect Yourself?
One of the biggest risks with HIV is that when a person has just been infected, that is when it is most infectious. But the problem is that people won’t even know that they have HIV, since it doesn’t show any initial symptoms.
So it is important to know what you can do in order to protect yourself from HIV. Here’s what you need to know:
- Use protection when having sex, especially if you have multiple partners.
- If you’ve had unprotected sex, be sure to get tested for HIV.
- It’s also a good idea to ask your partner to get tested, just to be on the safe side.
- Healthcare workers handling blood should practice the right safety protocol to avoid infection.
By following these simple tips, you can prevent being infected with HIV.
Key Takeaways
HIV is an infectious and serious disease. However, there is also a lot of misinformation and myths surrounding this condition.
It is important for everyone to be aware of what HIV is, how it spreads, and how to protect yourself from being infected. This way, we can reduce the stigma, and focus on helping people with HIV, and preventing future cases of HIV from happening.
Learn more about HIV and AIDs here.
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