MYTHS ABOUT HIV TRANSMISSION

I am amazed that so many people in the U.S. and other developed and scientifically advanced areas of the world are still clinging to false beliefs about HIV and AIDS. With that in mind, it is no wonder that AIDS is such a major problem in the under-developed nations, where the people do not have the benefit of the advanced healthcare systems, education, and scientific research that so many in the U.S. take for granted.

I read the following statement on a forum recently. It was written by a user identifying him/herself as being from the United States: "Straight people don't get AIDS".
The person went on to explain in a rather lengthy post that in the U.S. most of the people who are becoming infected are gays and drug addicts. Then, to make it even more disturbing, approximately 1/3 of the respondents to the post agreed with the original statement, although there was some argument from people who were trying to portray the facts and the truth. It kind of makes me think that we're beating our heads against the wall!

The fact is that the majority of HIV positive people worldwide are heterosexual, and even in the U.S. the rates of new HIV infections are increasing most rapidly among heterosexuals (women of color, specifically). Although the rates of transmission between homosexual men in the U.S, which had been down for years, is once again starting to climb (most likely due to complacency and the fact that more effective treatments are available which make HIV a less frightening disease), homosexuals are not the fastest growing group of new infections. Transmission through needle sharing among IV drug users is also way down, thanks to government sponsored needle exchange programs.

I hope that everyone reading this post faces the reality that the majority of people worldwide are heterosexual. HIV and AIDS knows no limits. It can, and does, affect and infect all types of people, irregardless of their sexual preferences. A straight man can infect a straight woman or another man, a straight woman can become infected by a bisexual man, a bisexual man can become infected from a straight woman or a gay man... HIV risk is about BEHAVIOR, not about the LABELS that society puts on groups of people.

Anyone who has unprotected sex or is intimate with another person is at risk. A straight man or woman who has unprotected sex just once puts themselves at a much greater risk for HIV than a gay man who has protected and safe sex with another gay man who is known to be HIV positive.

HIV prevention starts with educating yourself about the facts and then using that knowledge to educate others. Only then can we even hope to stop this epidemic. False beliefs based on discrimination and stigma towards certain groups of people will only hinder or efforts.