Misconceptions about HIV and AIDS

A medical research report in Nigeria has come up with a figure that over 7 million Nigerians have been medically proven to live with HIV while close to 5 million have been suspected to be positive to HIV. But these people have not come out boldly to either be tested for HIV or treated due to the myths and misconceptions surrounding the infection. It has also been noted that all over the world, HIV should have become a forgone issue if majority of the world populace had developed a positive disposition towards the virus and various methods of treatment, control and possible eradication.

For nearly 30 years, HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) and AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) have been shrouded in many myths and misconceptions. Although unanswered questions about HIV remain, researchers have learned a great deal. Here are the top few myths about HIV, along with the facts to dispute them.

It is believed that one can get HIV by being around people who are HIV-positive. But evidence shows that HIV is not spread through touch, tears, sweat, or saliva. You cannot contract HIV by breathing the same air as someone who is HIV-positive; by touching a toilet seat or doorknob handle after an HIV-positive person; by drinking from a water fountain; by hugging, kissing, or shaking hands with someone who is HIV-positive; by sharing utensils with an HIV-positive person or by using exercise equipment at a gym. But you can definitely get it from infected blood, semen, vaginal fluid, or mother’s milk.

It is also a held-belief that people should not worry about becoming HIV positive, that new drugs will keep any one well. This is a misconception because, inasmuch as antiretroviral drugs are improving and extending the lives of many people who are HIV-positive, many of these drugs are expensive and produce serious side effects. None yet provides a cure. Also, drug-resistant strains of HIV make treatment an increasing challenge
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An average man believes that one can contract HIV from mosquitoes, because HIV is spread through blood. People have been worried that biting or bloodsucking insects might spread HIV. Several studies, however, show no evidence to support this even in areas with lots of mosquitoes. When insects bite, they do not inject the blood of the person or animal they have last bitten. Also, HIV lives for only a short time inside an insect.

In the early years of the scourge, the death rate from AIDS was extremely high. But today, antiretroviral drugs allow HIV-positive people and even those with AIDS to live much longer, normal, and productive lives. Neither is AIDS a genocide phenomenon; an HIV victim can live his life to the fullest.

Another belief is that HIV victims receiving treatment can’t spread the virus; yes they can. Although when HIV treatments work well, they can reduce the amount of virus in the blood to a level so low that it doesn’t show up in blood tests. Research shows, however, that the virus is still ‘hiding’ in other areas of the body. It is still essential to practise safe sex, so you won’t make someone else become HIV-positive. Couples who are both HIV positive have many reasons to practise safer sex and please do not believe that while practising safer sex  wearing condoms can protect you both from becoming exposed to other (potentially drug resistant) strains of HIV.

Remember that sometimes, a partner can be HIV-positive and not have any symptoms for years. The only way for you or your partner to know if you’re HIV-positive is to get tested. It’s also true that oral sex is less risky than some other types of sex. But you can get HIV by having oral sex with either a man or a woman who is HIV-positive. So couples should always use a latex barrier during oral sex.

Questions and Answers

She fears she may also be infected for life

How do I deal with itchy eczema that is permanently on my pubic area? I have noticed this since I was a child. Back then, it always prevented me from sleeping well and the best my parents could do was to assure me it would disappear with age. I have treated it with anything available all to no avail. Now after a few years of marriage, my wife does not only tease me but after frantically trying to help cure it, she has stayed away from our bed. She says she will return when I find a permanent solution to it. She fears she may be also infected for life. Besides, the scare from the itching makes her irritated. What can I do?

Mr. Baidola Kuba

Because eczema is so visible, it can lead to self-esteem issues and sexual humiliation. Long time eczema can be a bit difficult to cure, especially when you have applied different medications to no avail. The other option you have is to go natural. How you wash your skin is important. Always take a cool bath every day and use a gentle cleanser instead of soap and avoid scrubbing that area. While the area  is still damp, apply local shea-butter with honey as moisturizer. Do this two to three times a day, including after bathing and every time you make use of toilets.

Try not to scratch or rub your skin when it itches. This will only worsen the itching and inflammation. When you scratch, you can break the skin and open it up to infection. Instead, rub local pap smear or white part of the egg on the surface; this can help control itching and soothe the skin. Avoid irritating pants or trouser fabrics like wool or coarsely woven materials. Wash all new underwear / clothes before you wear them in order to remove potentially irritating chemicals. Use a mild laundry detergent that doesn’t have fragrance or dyes. Rinse your underwear/clothes twice to remove traces of soap. When you’re too hot, your eczema can get worse. High temperatures can make you sweat, which can make the pubic area itchy and irritated. In cold season, heated cover clothes often have low humidity, which dries skin and causes itching. Avoid using lots of blankets so you won’t sweat while you sleep. And take a cold shower after you exercise.

He has no feelings for me

I’ve been married for eight years and I love my husband dearly. But sometimes when we make love, it seems like he has no feelings for me but only for himself. He is a little rough at times. Afterward, I can’t help feeling I’ve been taken advantage of. I want to enjoy sex, but I feel degraded because of his approach. What can I do to resolve this problem?

Moji Mojola Lawrence

It’s as if you’re preparing a sumptuous, elaborate feast of your husband’s favourite food  but there’s no plate set for you on the table. You’re left out of your own sexual relationship, which must be lonesome and frustrating. Not much can happen to change this until your husband really hears your hurt. Your letter doesn’t indicate that you’ve tried to talk to him about this. Don’t expect him to read your mind or that he should know. Be prepared to verbalise your needs, feelings, and desires. Think about how you are expressing them now. Feelings have a way of coming out, often non verbally. Maybe your husband will catch on if you try a different technique for expressing your feelings. It often helps to use first-person statements or emotional word pictures. As you express your feelings, find out about your husband’s feelings too. Don’t assume that he intends to be unfeeling or unkind. Sometimes, what comes across as sexual selfishness may be something else, such as fears or frustration in disguise. Maybe he has even been wishing all along that you wouldn’t hold back, not realising that his own behaviours are keeping you from becoming vulnerable. He may actually welcome your suggestions and some solutions.

If wishes were horses, beggars will ride

 I trust you can come to my aid. I am a happily married man in my late 60s who can no longer perform sexually as well as I used to; or as I would have loved to. Maybe it is what you call ‘mid-life sexual crisis.’  Getting an erection is not my problem, but the erection is not sufficiently hard and I am not able to maintain the erection for a reasonable length of time. Sometimes while in the middle of the act, I simply lose erection, even before ejaculation. I do not have the problem of quick ejaculation because if my erection is hard enough and I am able to sustain the erection, I can experience a delayed ejaculation. I would at least wish to go for two rounds of sex before I stop and this will satisfy my wife, who luckily is very understanding.  In short, I need to do something about it and quick if I am not to frustrate my wife who is some 15 years younger. She does not deserve to be frustrated. Can you please recommend to me which supplements will be best for my situation? My wife thinks I can’t be helped. She said if wishes were horses, beggars will ride. Please prove her wrong.

Babs Okafor

First and foremost, I would appreciate it if you can practise more of kegel exercise and also take a lot of vegetable and local spices such as ginger, garlic, walnut, bitter kola and the likes. Drinking of local vegetable fluid, coconut water would help in rejuvenating the nerves, veins and arteries of the penis. From the look of things, your erectile challenge is more of age-related than any other. You can use some of our natural herbs from Vietnam. These herbs have put smiles on the faces of many people suffering from erectile challenges.  

Normal testosterone but no sexual drive

I am 38 and remarried in March 2013. My doctor tested me twice this year and I have normal and healthy testosterone levels, but I feel as if I have no desire to have sex. This problem happened during our first week being married. I have a very hard time getting an erection, and an even harder time keeping an erection. Neither self-stimulation nor with the aid of sexual mental or graphic images seem to help. Most times, I can go flaccid as soon as I want. I also have a hard time enjoying it during sex, I rarely feel anything. Often I have to check the shaft of my penis during sex to verify that I still have an erection, because I barely feel anything. I never had this problem before I got remarried. I was able to easily (willingly and unwillingly) get an erection and sustain it several times a day. My thoughts were often crowded with the desire to be sexually involved. I have often wondered if I’m going through unusual stress, but that is not the case either. In the past, stress has always increased my desire for sex. Do you think there’s something psychological going on?

Jimson

Have you checked your blood sugar recently? High blood sugar can block the formation of hormone that causes the relaxation of the blood vessels in your sex organ so that it swells and becomes harder but not feeling.  And also, when last did you check your oestrogen levels…? (All males have some oestrogen, just as all women have some testosterone); they may be a little high; if that is the case, you need to balance it up. If your hormones, testosterone and oestrogen are all still normal, it is probably psychological. You said it happened virtually overnight, beginning a week or so after you got married;  maybe, (I mean no disrespect) it has something to do with your new wife. Has she offended you and it is hard for you to forgive her? Or is she not looking the way you imagine while on bed? Maybe some sexy lingerie would help; there may also be a need for you to do some thinking ‘out of the box.’ Do some ‘non-conventional’ things; use your imagination, and as long as you don’t hurt each other, it’s okay to try!