MYTH: "Hey, it's cool if I get it, I just take a pill and it goes away!"
FACT:
While it is true that HIV has become a "manageable disease" since the mid-90s, the reality is people are still dying from it today. The medications do work in most cases to suppress the virus, but they take a toll on the human body, causing the pancreas to stop working, becoming a co-factor in heart disease, and damaging the kidneys. These medications are seriously toxic, and they are not a one time cure-all. They are a lifetime commitment.
MYTH: "I took an antiretroviral so it's OK for me to have unprotected sex."
FACT: Studies in Texas have actually shown that the "party packs" are not effective in preventing HIV transmission. A one time dose of an antiretroviral shows no ability to prevent infection.
MYTH: "He didn't tell me he is HIV positive, so he must be HIV negative. The law mandates he tell me if he is positive."
FACT: While Michigan law does dictate that an HIV positive person disclose his or her status before engaging in penetration, the reality is that telling someone you are into you are HIV positive, is a terrifying experience. Many HIV positive people fear being rejected and so they choose not to disclose their HIV status. That doesn't make it right, but it doesn't mean you have to surrender your safety to someone else's ability to be honest. No matter what your partner says his or her status is, use a condom. The only person you be sure is negative is yourself.
MYTH: I read in the Wall Street Journal that doctors in Germany were able to cure a man of his HIV infection – so now that there is a cure there is nothing to worry about!
FACT: The situation in Berlin, Germany is a one of a kind situation and involved a complicated and expensive bone marrow transplant – which may not be an option for most people with HIV. The results from the Berlin case have not been replicated anywhere else in the world. Preventing HIV in the first place is a hell of lot easier, and less expensive, than a bone marrow transplant. Also, remember, HIV is not the only thing out there to worry about. Syphilis, gonorrhea and other sexually transmitted infections are still there. And don't forget about Hepatitis A, B and C or HPV, the virus most commonly known for causing genital warts, which has been linked to cervical cancer in women and penile and anal cancer in men.
MYTH: My partner and I were both virgins when we decided to have sex. I know because s/he told me so.
FACT: The only person you can be certain about is yourself. If you both have waited this long, why not wait a couple of weeks longer and make sure you are both free of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV?
MYTH: My partner and I both have HIV, so we are going to have it raw. It doesn't matter.
FACT: While both people might have HIV, each person has a unique virus in their blood. And that virus has its own genetic make up, some of which might include immunity to any number of HIV related medications. Being infected by a second ( or third or fourth, etc.) strain of the virus allows for viruses to mingle, sharing genetic information and possibly creating a virus with new immunities, making treatment more difficult, or impossible down the road.
MYTH: My partner's viral load is undetectable, so it's OK if we have unprotected sex cause he can't spread the virus.
FACT: While there is certainly evidence that the lower the viral load a person has, the less infective they appear to be, the reality is an HIV positive person is always potentially infective. Undetectable, is in fact a misnomer. It means that there are less than 48 copies of the virus per milliliter of blood– which is as sensitive as the test can get. So the partner could in fact have a viral load of 38, but be "undetectable." Is playing Russian roulette that important?
MYTH: I am not gay, and I only sleep with straight men. I am not at risk for HIV.
FACT: If you are having sex, you are at risk for contracting HIV. It really is that simple. HIV does not care what a person's sexual orientation is, it only cares if the person is a person. So if you are having sex, you need to be tested at least once a year. Period.
