TRANSMISSION MYTHS ABOUT AIDS

Some stories about AIDS transmission are just plain bogus: MYTH NUMBER ONE: AIDS IS SPREAD BY SPORES IN THE AIR. This is not true. California congressman William Dannemeyer, shown on the reverse of this card, has suggested that he thinks AIDS can be spread by air-borne spores. If this were true, AIDS would be far more common than it is. By the way, Dannemeyer has also said that he wants all HIV-positive people killed (see card 96).

MYTH NUMBER TWO: HOMOSEXUAL SEX WILL GIVE YOU AIDS. This is not true. Unprotected sex with an HIV-positive person can give you AIDS-but the person's gender doesn't matter. In the U.S., where AIDS affected gays first, many people think AIDS is the "result" of homosexuality. In Africa, where AIDS primarily affects heterosexuals (see card 78), no one thinks gay sex causes AIDS.

MYTH NUMBER THREE: YOU CAN GET AIDS FROM DONATING BLOOD. This is not true. Equipment used for drawing blood is sterile and disposable. Because it is only used once it cannot give you AIDS.

MYTH NUMBER FOUR: MOSQUITOES SPREAD AIDS. This is not true. A few years ago a news story made the rounds about a married man who got AIDS, claimed he was monogamous, and blamed it on mosquitoes. He later admitted he had gotten it from a prostitute. MYTH NUMBER FIVE: DON'T EAT IN RESTAURANTS WITH GAY WAITERS OR COOKS BECAUSE YOU'LL GET AIDS. This is not true for two reasons. First, not all gay people have AIDS. Second, hugging, shaking hands, touching, or eating a hamburger cannot give you AIDS.

MYTH NUMBER SIX: YOU CAN GET AIDS FROM TOILET SEATS. This is not true. HIV cannot live long outside the human body Next Card 74: SAFETY MYTHS About AIDS