We wanted to launch a question from here and it is: “What do you know about HIV?”

We want to inform you of the false myths that we live in our days about HIV, and how it has advanced.

The effect of the pandemic has made many laboratories advance quietly to find a vaccine against this virus, such as the HTI therapeutic vaccine.

The human immunodeficiency virus, or more commonly known as HIV, is a virus that attacks the immune system. If left untreated, it can cause AIDS, which is acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

There is still no cure to eliminate HIV from the body, but there are treatments that can help you live a normal life.

These are some lies or false myths that we at Ruben Galarreta want to debunk about HIV:

1. “HIV and AIDS are the same”

Having the virus means that the virus is inside you infecting and destroying the defense cells that are CD4 lymphocytes.

We talk about AIDS when symptoms caused by HIV infection appear in an advanced stage of the infection, such as weight loss, fevers, diarrhea, opportunistic infections, tumors, etc., then we talk about AIDS.

There is HIV without AIDS, but there is no AIDS without HIV.

2. “HIV is a problem for homosexuals and drug addicts”

This is totally false since the majority of people living with HIV are heterosexuals, so we must ALL protect ourselves.

3. “This virus can be transmitted by oral sex”

So far not a single case has been documented of people who have acquired the virus by this route, so we can´t certain if this myth is false at all.

4. “Once infected there is nothing to do, you are sentenced to death”

Although it is a disease for which there is no cure to date, the quality of the drugs that have been developed helps carriers a lot.

Carriers lead a normal life without difficulty, as long as they follow adequate treatment, death should not be a concern.

5. “HIV can be cured”

It cannot be cured, it is lifelong and there is still no treatment that eliminates the virus from the body.

6. “HIV can be transmitted through tears, sweat, mosquitoes, or casual contact”

This is only transmitted through semen, vaginal fluids, infected blood, or breast milk. The most common transmission of this disease is through unprotected sexual contact. The virus can be transmitted from mother to baby during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding, but it does not necessarily mean that if a mother has HIV or her child has.

7. “Having HIV means that your life expectancy is reduced”

Being a carrier of the virus in no way implies a sentence.

The beginning of this virus triggered many deaths, but this is no longer the case.  Medications and treatments have been developed that carriers have access to.

8. “AIDS is a disease of the last century”

Unfortunately, it is a big lie, the number of infected people continues to increase.

9. “HIV is the most common sexually transmitted disease”

This disease is one of the STDs with the lowest risk of transmission and is far behind others such as chlamydia.

10. “Drug therapy is not helpful”

Drug therapy is very useful, and anyone carrying the virus should start treatment as soon as possible to stop the destruction of their immune system.

We hope we have helped you to learn a little more about this virus that unfortunately has affected our community so much, but the most important thing is that you always take care of yourself and ALWAYS use protection.

Thanks for reading us, happy weekend !!