Myths About HIV & PrEP
With the lack of awareness, people create statements that are generally not true. These statements are called myths. There are many myths created about HIV as well and people that are not aware of HIV, believe these myths. Below is the list and detailed information about some of the top myths about HIV-
You can tell if someone is HIV positive, just by looking at the person
A Myth line that makes no sense but still some people believe is. It is very obvious that no one can predict HIV just by looking at another person. HIV can only be detected by the proper test. You should never judge people, instead, you can make them aware of such illnesses and their available preventions.
It is only for specific sexuality and it cannot affect straight people
Many studies say HIV risk is higher than usual in people who are Gay, transgender, or cisgender. There are some people who might take these statements wrongly. They think it can not affect them which is completely wrong. HIV can affect anyone and once HIV affects you there is no cure for it. People can still use PrEP medication to prevent it from spreading into the body and causing damage. That is why, no matter what the gender is, it is very important to follow proper precautions.
HIV positive people cannot have normal childbirth
This statement is completely false. It is true that a mother should not breastfeed her baby if she is HIV positive, as the HIV virus can be transmitted from mother to baby via breast milk. But HIV virus affects fertility, or a person with HIV virus cannot give proper/ normal birth, is a myth and should not be believed at any cost. There are several HIV patients who gave birth to very healthy babies and are living healthy lives.
Patients that are on PrEP, do not need to care about protected Sexual Intercourse
People who are on PrEP might think it is ok to have unprotected sexual intercourse while they are on PrEP, this kind of thought should not be followed. Remember PrEP is 90-99% effective but it is not 100% effective yet. Even a 1% chance of getting HIV can cause great damage to overall health. Hence it becomes necessary to follow the general precautionary rules and safe sex practices while you are on PrEP.
Truvada PrEP is the final cure for HIV
With the help of Truvada, people are able to control the HIV virus from spreading or affecting them. When we get a solution for our problem, we might get careless sometimes. This is the exact problem with people who are on PrEP or affected by HIV as well. They tend to forget that it is just a precautionary medication to prevent HIV, not the cure for HIV. This carelessness makes them even more vulnerable to HIV when they do not follow the directed precautions in daily life. Truvada is very helpful in preventing HIV, but with this medication, you also need to follow daily life rules such as, never opt for unprotected sexual intercourse, never use shared needles, and never breastfeed a baby if you are HIV positive, etc.
You can get HIV from sharing the utensils of an HIV person, or talking and sitting with them can affect your health
With less awareness, people tend to follow what other people believe. HIV is never transmitted through eating at the same desk with an HIV positive person or sharing utensils with them or even having a conversation with them. The main causes that can spread HIV from one person to another are having unprotected sexual intercourse, sharing needles, coming in contact with bodily fluids, or sharing drugs needles.
Having HIV means death is near
The fear of HIV is very high and such things create many myths. Thousands of people every year are living a healthy and long life with HIV. You can stop the virus from growing and copying itself inside your body with the help of the right medications. These medications even help in boosting the immune system which is the main reason for our overall health. People with HIV can live a long and healthy life with proper measures.
HIV is AIDS
Most people have a habit of calling HIV and AIDS together. Many consider both as one disease. Which is not true. HIV is the starting stage of the Human immunodeficiency virus and it can be prevented. While AIDS is the final stage of HIV and there is no cure to save a person from AIDS. Having AIDS means HIV has already done enough damage inside the body. HIV can be treated but AIDS cannot.
PrEP is expensive
Another myth popular among people is the cost of PrEP medication. People who want to take PrEP assume the cost is very high and not at all affordable. This is not true, as there are several manufacturers and sellers, presenting you with the best PrEP medications at reasonable rates. While branded PrEP may be unaffordable, generic PrEP is easily accessible and reasonable. Trusted vendor Buyprepmeds.com, which has more than a decade of experience in pharma, provides you with the approved generic PrEP.
Conclusion
With all the above information, we got to learn about some myths that need to disappear from society. Such myths stop people from getting the right medication and create an unhealthy environment. We encourage spreading awareness and highly advise everyone to do the same. In this article we tried our best to bust the most common myths regarding HIV and create awareness.
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