moral responsibility to correct all misconceptions regarding HIV /AIDS

[Pradeepkumar]

Hi, All

 

 

I feel its my moral responsibility to correct all misconceptions

regarding HIV /AIDS.

 

I can do this because I am educated enough to comment on this. This

message is from Mayank who is working in Ranbaxy. He is serving as

Brand Manager (Product Manager) handling anti HIV/AIDS portfolio

(called as

Antiretroviral Drugs) in Ranbaxy.

 

Please read following points carefully & don't send emails related to

Medical ailments without having complete knowledge about it (even

partial knowledge could be grossly dangerous).

 

* HIV (virus) requires *ONLY* *Blood or Semen* as medium to transmit

from one body to another.

* HIV *can not* transmit even through *Saliva*(mucous) i.e . even if

HIV-infected patient coughs or smooches and another person is exposed

to his sputum (cough) or saliva, the virus still can not transmit

because concentration of virus particles in sputum is almost NIL &

exposure to air anyway kills virus in fraction of seconds.

 

* In case an HIV-infected person gets an injury (like the cut in below

mentioned story) and he is bleeding, the virus can transmit to another

person only if another person has a cut/wound in his body & that too

when blood from both person comes in contact with each other* (this is

also very very rare unless bleeding is very high) and not otherwise.

 

* HIV can *never survive in any other liquid * medium also other than

blood or semen (& please for God sake ... never in Pani Puri wala

pani)

 

* Even if one drinks an HIV infected blood (or semen) of someone

(ingest through Gastro Intestinal track), the virus can not survive in

the acidic pH of stomach*. Highest extent of acidity is 0 (practically

not

possible) so imagine 1 as pH which is in our stomach. (This pH can

burn your own finger in less than a second if you dip in that acid).

 

* Exposure of less than 1 second in AIR KILLS the HIV virus*( hence

story of needle pricks in Cinema heatres is a crap). Even if blood

from a wound (of infected person) dries up (*blood clot*), *the virus

dies*and can not infect anyone else.

 

* HIV transmission is *ONLY* an *INFECTION* i.e.entrance of virus in

one's body. It *DOES NOT MEAN AIDS*.

 

* An HIV-infected person (after entrance of virus) can progress to a

condition of AIDS only after *8 to 10 YEARS *(not in 15 days as in the

Pani Puri story)

 

* It is *not HIV (virus) that kills a human* .....the virus attacks

immune cells (cells that fight against foreign pathogens/antigens) and

hence a person's ability to fight against infections & diseases slowly

diminishes and person ultimately dies of a disease which could be as

simple as TB.

 

* Most importantly, HIV is no longer a dreadful disease ... it is

 

"*CHRONIC MANAGEABLE DISEASE*" just like Diabetes or Hypertension.

 

* If there is anything you need to be careful from to prevent HIV is

 

*Blood transfusion* (check before taking) /Blood donation

 

(use sterilized needles only) and any *blood contact during an accident

 

*or so where amount of bleeding is very high.

 

 

Thank you for reading this message.. forward this message to everyone..to your friends

 

 

reply me if you like the post

[Mr Skeptic]

Maybe it's just me, but I'd stay away from any of the body fluids of someone with HIV. I do believe they've found some virus even in the saliva, but it was a small amount and I'm not sure if there's ever been any infection from it. Certainly swallowing body fluids from people with HIV is incredibly stupid.

[DrP]

Maybe it's just me, but I'd stay away from any of the body fluids of someone with HIV..... Certainly swallowing body fluids from people with HIV is incredibly stupid.

 

I doubt it's just you.

 

I do believe they've found some virus even in the saliva, but it was a small amount ...

 

being fair - the OP kinda states that. Anyway - wern't we told all of this in the 1980's??

[CharonY]

It is basically old news. I am aware that this thread is kind of spam regarding to some (I assume Bollywood) movie in a completely different context, but as it claims to be correct, I feel compelled to correct some points .

 

* HIV (virus) requires *ONLY* *Blood or Semen* as medium to transmit from one body to another.

This is wrong. Other body fluids with high concentrations are vaginal fluids breast milk, cerebrospinal fluids, amniotic fluids and synovial fluids. While one seldom comes into contact with the latter, it may prove to be a danger to health care specialists.

 

 

exposure to air anyway kills virus in fraction of seconds.

This is not correct (or rather has not been established as that). It denaturates quite quickly, but there is no way to determine whether it loses infections abilities in few or less than a second. The low concentration is the primary point. Also, fluids in which the virus is present in higher concentrations (e.g. blood) might remain infectious even after exposure to air for some time. The reports are in hours, clearly not in milliseconds. I also want to point out that Air itself does not kill (or inactivate) the virus per se, but rather the drying process denatures it.

 

 

* HIV can *never survive in any other liquid * medium also other than

blood or semen (& please for God sake ... never in Pani Puri wala

pani)

See above.

 

* Even if one drinks an HIV infected blood (or semen) of someone

(ingest through Gastro Intestinal track), the virus can not survive in

the acidic pH of stomach*. Highest extent of acidity is 0 (practically

not

possible) so imagine 1 as pH which is in our stomach. (This pH can

burn your own finger in less than a second if you dip in that acid).

This is partially right but at the same time wrong in several accounts. It is correct that the virus denatures in low pH. However, lesion in the mouth are rather common. Drinking blood and semen therefore poses a health risk. Also breast milk may be infectious to babies. Additionally, the pH gives no indication of the corrosive strength of an acid. You have also to regard the concentration. The molarity of stomach acid is roughl 0.1-0.2 M. There is no way in hell you can burn your fingers with it. At around 5 M you will notice irritations and maybe itching (especially if you skin hast go small lesions).

 

 

* Exposure of less than 1 second in AIR KILLS the HIV virus*( hence

story of needle pricks in Cinema heatres is a crap). Even if blood

from a wound (of infected person) dries up (*blood clot*), *the virus

dies*and can not infect anyone else.

Not necessarily, under lab conditions at least on researcher managed to get himself infected while transferring blood via a needle. A process under air which takes far longer than one second. Or think of transmission via infected needles among drug users. Implying that needles are not infectious is dead wrong. Despite air exposure not all blood dries up in the syringe.

[YT2095]

something that I`v often wondered about is Mosquitoes, is it at all possible to catch it from an infected mosquito especially if you splat it?

[Sisyphus]

something that I`v often wondered about is Mosquitoes, is it at all possible to catch it from an infected mosquito especially if you splat it?

 

Definitely not. Surely if that were possible it would become the primary means of infection. I seem to recall that only specific pathogens can be transmitted by specific hosts that are compatible with them, like malaria with mosquitos, Lyme disease with ticks, various mammals with rabies, etc.

[Mr Skeptic]

Maybe if the mosquito bit someone immediately after. It might require like you suggested splatting the mosquito onto a wound. The malaria parasite is specially adapted for it mosquito transmission, so that it is in mosquito saliva. Any AIDS viruses would likely be digested by the mosquito. Any AIDS on the mosquito's proboscis would probably dry out and denature.

[Sayonara]

Any AIDS viruses would likely be digested by the mosquito. Any AIDS on the mosquito's proboscis would probably dry out and denature.

I think that in a thread about dispelling misconceptions we should probably try to avoid calling the virus "AIDS", as this is factually incorrect on an epic scale

[Dnasis]

in response to the virus surviving for only 1 second is completely misguided, the virus itself is able to survive outside the body for 20minutes (unless treated with bleach of course) you have to remember that is an enveloped virus and thus does have some protection from outside environments. however you are right in that it does not last long.

The course of AIDS progression is also dependable as depends on the CD-4 depletion. The main problem with HIV is the mismanagement of the antiretroviral therapies that are out there which can not only cause resistance but also the virus itself can mutate to favouring the CCCR5 receptor to the CXCR4 receptor which is associated with the progression to Aquired immune deficiency syndrome.

[profescher]

HIV has zoonotic origins, I'm not sure about the mosquito bite theory, but bushmeant has become a problem and in 2004 it was reported that:

 

Bush-meat trade breeds new HIV

07 August 2004 by Amitabh Avasthi, New York

Magazine issue 2459

THE HIV virus has jumped from primates to people on at least seven separate occasions in recent history, not twice as is commonly thought. And people in Cameroon are showing up with symptoms of HIV, but are testing negative for both the virus and its primate equivalent SIV, the virus from which HIV is thought to have evolved. That suggests that new strains of an HIV-like virus are circulating in wild animals and infecting people who eat them, sparking fears that such strains could fuel an already disastrous global HIV pandemic.

[Tom Moody]

Since HIV is an incurable disease and sadly does not have any cure till date; therefore, it becomes all the more important for you to take precautionary measure, so that you do not get infected by this fearful disease.Now a days, number of myths and misconceptions have being doing the rounds. Some of the most common myths are as follows:

 

1. Misonceptions: Only gays get infected with HIV. Straight guys are secure.

Reality: On the contrary, a majority of people infected with HIV all across the world are actually heterosexual. So, being heterosexual does in no way guarantee that you can never get infected. Nor does it increase the risk of getting infected with HIV.

 

2. Misonceptions: HIV spreads through sweat, tears, mosquitoes, kissing or casual contact.

Reality: No, HIV can spread only through infected blood, semen, vaginal fluids and from a mother to her baby, during pregnancy, or through breast milk. So, you usually get infected by way of unprotected sex, sharing needles, as well as through transfusion with infected blood. In fact a majority of cases take place due to unprotected sex.

 

3. Misonceptions: You can test negative, once you have tested positive.

Reality: This is not true; although, a number of retroviral drug therapies have become very popular in recent times. Many of these drugs are very much effective and have even reduced the HIV count in the blood to undetectable limits. However, it needs to be mentioned here, that, HIV is not just present in the blood; it is present in almost each and every part of the body. Therefore, once you have tested HIV positive, you have no chance of testing negative.

 

4. Misonceptions: HIV does not cause AIDS.

Reality: In the last few years a new theory is doing the rounds, which says that, AIDS is not actually caused by HIV. This theory is absolutely absurd, especially when you do not have any valid scientific proof to justify this theory. In fact, recent studies have reconfirmed the involvement of HIV in AIDS. It is therefore; better to save yourself from HIV infection.

 

5. Misonceptions: Having sex with a virgin can cure HIV/AIDS.

Reality: This one of the most dangerous myths, which has led to further spread of this dreaded disease. As it is, this misconception has led to the rape of many young girls and children and has been a strong cause for further spread of this deadly virus.

 

So save yourself from getting infected.

[classact18]

I just have a few comments to make - I really appreciate that you are trying to help break down the myths of HIV/AIDs, but there are a few facts of yours that are not correct. I am a trained HIV/AIDS educator by the American Red Cross so I feel I should help

 

First of all, HIV is spread through the contact of 4 bodily fluids - Blood, Semen, Breast Milk and Vaginal Fluids. This is VERY IMPORTANT so please do not leave the latter two out when trying to educate people. This is once again just spreading more misconceptions.

 

Also, HIV can progress to AIDS sooner than "8-10" years. If a person takes longer than 10 years they are called "long-term non-progressors"

 

Also HIV can survive outside of the body until the liquid dries. Coming in contact with a little blood, semen, breast milk or vaginal fluid that belongs to an infected person is still a very, very rare way of transmitting the virus because there is hardly ever enough of the virus present. To spread HIV, there must first be the virus, there must be a way for it to get into your body (it is not able to go through skin unless there is an open cut) and there must be enough of the dose (viral load) or else your body will fight it off.

 

If you have any questions please ask!

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Consecutive posts merged

No you cannot get HIV from a mosquito for many reasons:

First, a mosquito is taking blood out of you not putting it in you.

Second, If a mosquito sucked the blood of someone with HIV it wouldn't transmit it to you because it is proven that a mosquito will digest it's food before biting another

 

Now in the case that you splat it, you won't get HIV because there would not be enough of the virus present in such a small amount for you to contract the virus

[Psycho]

 

Now in the case that you splat it, you won't get HIV because there would not be enough of the virus present in such a small amount for you to contract the virus

That is a complete fallacy and for someone who claims to be trained in educating people about this subject you should at least know the science behind it, there is plenty of blood in a mosquito to infect a person it is just extremely improbable due to it being external to the blood, the immune defences as well the fact that HIV isn't really that contagious compare to many other viruses.

 

The same is true for saliva some is present there but that would then have to have direct contact with the blood stream and then it would still be a 1 in a million chance of infection due to the low amounts.

 

With the correct medication the concentration of the virus within a infected persons blood can be reduced to a pretty negligibly amount, making infection by any mean unlikely.