Separating Fact From Myth Regarding Aids Transmission

Myth – Food service workers who are infected with the HIV virus can transmit it.

Fact – Food service workers who follow normally enforced personal hygiene and food sanitation procedures do not pose any threat. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Food service workers can however infect other diseases such as diarrhea or hepatitis whether or not they also have the AIDS virus.

Myth – Body piercing (not ears) such as tattooing, body piercing and acupuncture are totally safe from AIDS transmission.

Fact – The (CDC) has documented one case of AIDS being transmitted through acupuncture. There are risks if the body pierced area has not healed and comes in contact with an infected person’s AIDS infected blood or other infected bodily fluid. The HIV virus can also be transmitted if the needles or instruments used multiple times have not been sterilized or disinfected properly between clients and a client has AIDS.

Myth – Any type of kissing with someone who is infected with the AIDS virus can transmit the virus.

Fact – Closed mouth kissing does not involve any risk for HIV virus transmission. Where there is a risk is in the type of kissing that is open mouth or “French kissing”. The mouth can contain blood from open sores, loose or missing teeth and abrasions or cuts in the tissues of the mouth; therefore there is the risk of transmitting the aids virus through blood.

Myth – Saliva, Sweat or the Tears of a person with AIDS can transmit the AIDS virus to another person.

Fact – There has never been a proven case in which this has happened. Although there have been studies showing that there are small amounts of the HIV virus found in saliva, and tears; it does not translate to being a sufficient amount to infect someone. There are no cases of this happening of HIV being transmitted through saliva or tears.

Myth – Insects can transmit the HIV virus to humans.

Fact – When insects like mosquitos bite humans they do not inject blood into the human when biting; they inject saliva. Any infected blood that a mosquito may draw out of an infected person’s blood only has the capability to survive for a short time in the insect’s body. Because HIV does not reproduce it cannot survive inside the insect’s body. Therefore the insect itself does not become infected and cannot transmit it to the next human they bite. Studies have also shown that HIV is not found in the feces of insects. Even if infected blood were to get on the mouth of the biting insect, it has been shown that they do not immediately go to another human victim, they instead to somewhere to digest the blood meal that they just received. Any left over infected blood on their mouth by the time they finished their meal and then flew to another human would not carry enough HIV virus to possibly infect the next person they bite.

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