SEX AND RELATIONSHIPS
20 MYTHS ABOUT HIV / AIDS
THINK YOU KNOW IT ALL ? CHANCES ARE , YOU ’ RE WRONG !
Whoever you have sex with , you may be a victim of an HIV or AIDS myth . The myths around HIV and AIDS pose a huge danger to our health – and they spread as fast as the virus itself . Chances are you will find some surprises in what follows :
MYTH : I ’ M MONOGAMOUS , SO I ’ M NOT IN DANGER . BUSTED : This may cause a row with your boyfriend . But some research suggests more gay men get HIV from their regular partner than from a hook-up .
MYTH : YOU CAN ONLY PROTECT YOURSELF FROM GET- TING HIV BY WEARING A CONDOM . BUSTED : This was true until relatively recently . Back then , your options were abstinence or wearing a condom . Now you may be able to get the alternative – PrEP . But , depending where you are in the world , PrEP may be free or expensive . PrEP means ‘ pre-exposure prophylaxis ’ – that ’ s doctor-talk for ‘ treatment taken before exposure to the virus ’. PrEP kills the virus before it can spread and take hold in your body , so you don ’ t become HIV positive . You can take PrEP regularly for on-going protection ( that ’ s best ). Alternatively you can get one-off protection – you take two pills between two and 24 hours before sex , one 24 hours later and one 48 hours later . The main drug used is called Truvada . PrEP is very effective . But it doesn ’ t protect you from other sex infections , which can be painful , difficult to treat and force you to stop having sex for a while . Condoms remain the most readily available and best option
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MYTH : BY PAYING FOR PREP , HEALTH OFFICIALS WOULD BE TAKING MONEY FROM OTHER PATIENTS – LIKE KIDS WITH CANCER . BUSTED : This is a tabloid newspaper lie . UK newspapers in particular spread this , using inflammatory homophobic language , when the National Health Service was asked to consider paying for PrEP . If you get HIV , it will cost around $ 125,000 to $ 435,000 (€ 115,000 to € 410,000 ) to treat you for the rest of your life . If health officials give you PrEP , they not only protect you but the other people you have sex with . If you don ’ t get the virus , you can ’ t pass it on . So in as little as a year , PrEP is expected to start saving money for public health systems . And that ’ s not to mention the reduction in human misery and the overall improvement in the nation ’ s health .
MYTH : THERE ’ S A ‘ MORNING-AFTER PILL ’ FOR HIV . BUSTED : This is another drug option – Post Exposure Prophylaxis or PEP . It ’ s a drug regimen started immediately after risky sex . But it ’ s not as simple as a ‘ morning after pill ’. Firstly , you have to get PEP very quickly after having risky sex . The sooner you start treatment , the more likely it is to work . After 72 hours , it ’ s too late . You then need a month
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