Myths

I am finishing up teaching a week long course of HIV and AIDS Mainstreaming to the Bachelor candidates in Counselling. This is described as "Mainstreaming AIDS is a process that enables development actors to address the causes and effects of AIDS in an effective and sustained manner, through both their usual work and within their workplace" UNAIDS, World Bank and UNDP(2005).
Part of our work together focused on the Myths that surround HIV and AIDS. Here is a list of some of the myths that we uncovered:

Myths

1. ARVs (antiretroviral medication) will solve all my problems and I don’t have to worry about HIV anymore.

2. Drinking 5 liters of saliva from an infected person will infect a person.

3. HIV and AIDS is a Haitian disease.

4. AIDS is a gay disease.

5. AIDS means American Initiate to Destroy Sex.

6. Saliva, sweat, urine, mucus and feces can infect a person with HIV.

7. Mosquitoes transmit HIV.

8. Sharing wash rooms, eating utensils, socks, bed sheets, toilets and swimming pools can transmit HIV.

9. You can contract the HIV virus by being coughed upon by an infected person.

10. Sex with children cures AIDS

11. HIV and AIDS are problems of the poor.

12.  It can’t happen to me!

13. HIV is only active during the day. You cannot catch it night when HIV is sleeping

14. HIV is an American idea.

15. If circumcised you cannot contract HIV.

16. Having intercourse with and elderly women is safer sex. Old women do not have HIV.

17. Having and HIV test is protection from contracting the virus.   
To let you know of the prevalence of HIV and here is Uganda I have attached the following: