HIV Myths vs. Facts: Separating Fact from Fiction

From the desk of …

Libby Olson, SRAS Educator

You may have heard people say things like, “If you swallow watermelon seeds, a watermelon will grow in your stomach,” or “If you swallow gum, it will stay in your body for seven years.” These are common myths—things that are widely believed or repeated even though they are not true. Myths exist about almost every aspect of life, including food, exercise, pregnancy, and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

When teaching abstinence education, we often hear students repeat things they have learned about STDs, particularly HIV/AIDS. Much of this information comes from television, social media, or TikTok and is not always accurate. Misinformation about HIV can cause students to underestimate its seriousness, leading them to believe that it is “no big deal” or that it is not harmful. To make informed decisions and protect their health, it is important for students to understand the facts about HIV and recognize the truth behind common myths.

HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. It is a virus that attacks the body’s immune system, specifically the cells that help the body fight infections and other illnesses. If HIV is not treated, it can eventually lead to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), which is the most advanced stage of HIV infection. At this stage, the immune system has been severely weakened, making it much more difficult for the body to fight certain infections and illnesses.

Below are some of the most common HIV myths we hear from students, along with the truth behind them.

Myth 1: HIV can be transmitted through shaking hands, hugging, sitting on a toilet after someone with HIV, or through other casual contact.

Truth: HIV is not spread through casual contact such as hugging, shaking hands, sharing a toilet, or sharing food and drinks. HIV is most commonly transmitted through sexual contact with a person who has HIV or through sharing needles or other injection equipment. HIV can also be transmitted from a mother to her baby during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding.

Myth 2: A person will know right away if they have been infected with HIV.

Truth: A person cannot know for certain that they have HIV simply by how they feel. Some people experience flu-like symptoms about 2–4 weeks after infection, such as fever, fatigue, sore throat, rash, or swollen lymph nodes. However, some people have no symptoms at all. Because these symptoms can look like many other common illnesses, the only way to know for sure whether someone has HIV is to get tested.

Myth 3: AIDs patients live healthy normal lives.

Truth: Once someone has progressed to AIDs, their immune system has deteriorated so much that it can no longer function like it once did. A variety of problems will surface at this point including swollen lymph glands, skin rashes, memory loss, weight loss, diarrhea, neurological conditions and certain types of cancers.

Myth 4: There is a cure for HIV/AIDS.

Truth: There is no cure for HIV/AIDS. Once someone has it, they have it for life. There are some medications that can slow the virus down and lower the risk of spreading it to others, but it can never be fully eliminated from the body.

Myth 5: HIV/AIDs is an adult disease and does not affect teens.

Truth: HIV along with every other STD can and does affect teens. In fact, teens are more at risk to contracting STDs. Of the 32,000 new HIV cases every year, approximately 22% of those are among teens aged 13 – 24 (CDC).

Sources: All information and statistics presented in this blog are based on information provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC.gov).