Thread: HIV/AIDS and kids.

when you drink water, some of your saliva goes into the water, right? that's why parents tell you not to share your drink/food cuz you might get sick from your friends...

and since HIV comes from bodily fluids coming into contact, that's a very plausible way of getting it. (Soshi Kitai says: Plausible, but still not too likely)

Originally Posted by Ky-lyrra

What they are talking about if from the saliva of the kids with HIV/AIDS.

How is low-quality drinking water the same as saliva?
I seem to not understand the similarities.

and since HIV comes from bodily fluids coming into contact, that's a very plausible way of getting it. (Soshi Kitai says: Plausible, but still not too likely)

Exactly. Which is why I said the parents have a right to be worried and whatnot. Because it is possible to get the disease by means of an open wound, etc*.

a lot of the rural places don't have good water/irragation/sewer systems in India. so it's very likely that bodily fluids (urine, blood, saliva) that has HIV can get into the water supply.

Originally Posted by Abu Dhabi

actually... no, no... that's not it at all...

children have HIV/AIDS not becuz they have sex (that only counts for a very small, almost infantasimal percent), but becuz it was contracted by birth. When they pass through the womb and into the world, the disease comes from that passing since it comes from the bodily fluids of the mother. Also, it's possible that they contracted it from low quality drinking water and other such things... (as a side note: it's a myth in Africa that if you have sex with a virgin, you will be cured of the disease, thusly, lots of young girls are raped, contract the disease, and most likely give birth... so, the cycle continues)...

In developing nations, AIDs is as much transmitted through contaminated blood products, unsanitary hospital/living conditions, and as Abu said, mother-to-fetus as it is through direct sexual contact. It isn't unusual to hear of children in Africa or India being infected at local hospitals because staff used the same needle to inoculate every patient.

I've never heard of HIV transmission through drinking water, and saliva would only be a concern if it had blood in it. Keep in mind that the virus lives for only seconds outside of the human body/bloodstream.

EDIT: More info, from http://www.mnaidsproject.org/learn/transmission.htm:

Non-Infectious Fluids
Saliva—is NOT considered to be infectious. The only time saliva would pose a risk would be if it had blood present in it. There are no documented cases of HIV transmission through saliva. There is a protein in the mouth that attaches itself to the surface of blood cells and blocks infection by HIV that appears to be present in the mucous membrane in the mouth at a level sufficient enough to reduce the concentration of HIV in saliva to non-infectious levels.

Urine and Tears—are NOT considered infectious. While HIV has been found in urine and tears, it is not concentrated in an amount sufficient for transmission.

Sweat, Feces, Vomit—are NOT considered infectious. HIV has never been found in these materials. The only possible risk would be if there was blood present.

HIV Transmission Routes
HIV can enter the body through open cuts or sores and by directly infecting cells in the mucous membranes. Transmission can happen in the mouth, the eyes, vagina, penis (through the urethra), in the anus and rectum. HIV cannot cross healthy, unbroken skin.

Sexual Transmission
HIV can be transmitted through sexual intercourse, both vaginal and anal. HIV can easily pass through the mucus membranes in the genitals and the rectum, or may pass through cuts and sores. HIV can also be transmitted through oral sex. Conditions such as bleeding gums and poor oral health increase the risk of transmission and through oral sex.

Non-sexual Transmission
HIV can be transmitted by contact between infectious fluids and bleeding cuts or open sores in the skin. However, healthy, intact skin does not allow HIV to enter the body, and provides an excellent barrier against the virus.

oh, well that might be just me over thinking the water thing then! but, it's true, their water isn't really the best thing to drink...

but it's true that HIV/AIDS in 3rd world countries doesn't come from sex, but simple infection. And it was allowed to spread so quickly becuz people didn't know what it was for a long time. in the 80s, it was classified as an odd type of pnemonia... and with the Regan administration completely ignoring it, a lot of time was wasted that could have helped to find a cure... after that, it started spreading... really fast...

and a lot of the countries who are most affected, do not have the money or the know-how to treat the millions of patients...

of course, i believe they haven't found a cure yet becuz the drug companies make more money selling the medication than they would selling the cure... but that is neither here nor there...

I know the ways in which the disease can be transmitted. I'm not an idiot. I've just never heard of the disease being passed on by drinking water.

Originally Posted by The White Wolf

I know the ways in which the disease can be transmitted. I'm not an idiot. I've just never heard of the disease being passed on by drinking water.

I'm certain I did not call you an idiot. I posted the information because it lays to rest some common misconceptions people may have about the virus. Always better to have solid information than just rumors and uncertainties.