Don’t believe these myths associated with HIV

hiv In the year 2017, 9,40,000 people died due to HIV related illness world-wide. Sounds horrific. Right? Well, this data is concerning enough to give some weightage to this health condition. HIV is a virus alters your body’s defense system and increases your risk of getting diseases and conditions easily. Without proper and timely treatment, the infection may progress to an advanced disease stage called Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a chronic and life-threatening condition in which you’re your body becomes unable to fight the organisms that cause disease. The symptoms of HIV and AIDS vary, depending on the phase of infection. During the initial phase, you may experience fever, headache, rash, sore throat, swollen lymph, muscle aches etc. When the infection progresses to AIDS, you will go through soaking night sweats, chronic diarrhea, weight loss, skin rashes, unexplained fatigue etc. HIV virus can be spread through sexual contact, blood transfusions, sharing needles, or from mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth or breast-feeding. Various factors like unprotected sex, having an STI, use of intravenous drugs etc. can potentially increase your risk of getting an HIV infection. There are lots of myths and misconceptions surrounding this infection. Here, we bust them for you.Hugging It is believed that touching someone can lead to transmission of HIV. However, it is not true. Touching hugging, kissing, shaking hands can not do so.sweating Do not believe that HIV can be transmitted through sweat, tears, urine or faeces of an HIV infected person.taking shower Do you think being around someone who is HIV positive can make you infected? Well, this is again a myth. HIV cannot survive in air and water. So, breathing the same air as someone who is HIV positive or taking shower with him do not make you vulnerable to this infection.mosquito If you think that you can get HIV from mosquito, you are mistaken. Mosquito don’t inject any blood into your system while biting.oral sex If you believe that oral sex can’t make you vulnerable to HIV infection, you are wrong. Though the chances of getting the infection this way is less. But, if your partner is HIV positive and his genitals have cuts and bruises, that could cause the virus to be transmitted to you.