AIDS is one of the most feared diseases among the population. It was the one that took Freddy Mercury at the time. Although nowadays medicine has advanced so much that the disease process can already be slowed down a lot, in addition to the fact that it is already much easier to acquire condoms and it is known more in depth how this disease works and is spread. Advantages that perhaps a few years ago were not had.
However, despite the fact that information can now be easily found on the Internet and other media on the subject, it is very common for doubts to arise such as whether AIDS can be spread by saliva, which is not the case, since saliva does not contain enough viruses for contagion to occur. To make you calmer or calmer, in this article we will detail why you cannot spread AIDS by saliva.
What is AIDS and HIV?
AIDS, also called acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, is the result of the presence of the HIV virus (human immunodeficiency virus) in the body. It is a lentivirus, that is, a virus that has a very long incubation period, and that over time causes AIDS, a disease that gradually weakens the immune system, until it is completely destroyed.
Consequently, the person will be more likely to get deadly infections and cancers. Which means that in the long run the person would not die of AIDS, but of some disease caused by AIDS.
Symptoms of AIDS
Usually, people do not present any type of symptom until after about 8 or 10 years, although some claim to feel fever with pain and discomfort for 2 or 4 weeks after infection. However, after these years, various anomalies may occur, such as the following:
- Sudden weight loss of more than 10%.
- Fevers or night sweats.
- Diarrhea for more than a month.
- Constant and sharp tiredness.
- Dry cough for more than a month.
- Hives in various areas of the body.
- Ulcers in the mouth.
- Fungal infections in the mouth and throat.
- Inflammation of the nodes.
- Herpes in the mouth.
In this other article you will find more information about what are the symptoms of AIDS.
How AIDS is spread
The virus that causes AIDS, i.e., HIV, can be spread in 3 ways:
- Sexually: either through intercourse, vaginal fluids or preseminal and seminal fluid, anal sex or oral sex. As surprising as it may be, the most dangerous of all is anal sex, due to how delicate the tissue of the anus is and the ease with which wounds can occur.
- By blood: another of the most dangerous ways is through blood, either because syringes are shared, because there is an unwanted contact between the blood of an infected person and a healthy one, or because of another type of non-disinfected material that has been in contact with the blood of a sick person, such as the material to perform piercings, tattoos or acupuncture. However, there is no need to worry about blood transfusions, since to donate blood a series of very specific controls are carried out to avoid this type of problems and contagion.
- Mother-to-child: If a pregnant woman is infected with HIV, she will most likely infect the baby during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding.
How AIDS is prevented
The best way to avoid getting AIDS is to always have sex with a condom, especially if it is sporadic relationships with strangers, since they themselves may not know that they are infected with HIV.
The same thing happens when you start having relationships with your partner. If there comes a time when you want to have sex with another method of contraception, it is best that you both go to the doctor beforehand to have an analysis and check that neither of you has AIDS or another sexually transmitted disease or STD.
Chances of contagion without protection
on the other hand, the chances of getting HIV when it comes to having unprotected sex is very high, especially if you have anal sex, as we mentioned before, due to the ease with which small fissures can be created in the anal canal.
On the other hand, it must be said that HIV can be transmitted with very little sexual fluid, since there may be small drops of blood in the semen or in the vaginal discharge, but the chances of contagion increase if wounds occur during sexual intercourse.
How to tell if I have AIDS
Now that you know how AIDS is spread and how it can be prevented, you may be wondering how to tell if you're infected with HIV. If you suspect that you may have been infected with this virus, it is best to go to the doctor as soon as possible to perform the relevant tests to detect this virus. There are two types of tests:
- Through saliva: this is a very fast test, since they take a saliva sample from your cheeks and give you the results in 20 minutes. It is, therefore, a painless, fast and totally safe test.
- Using a blood test: This test may take a little longer, about a week, as they must take the sample to a laboratory for analysis.
You may also be interested in this other article on How to Tell If I Have HIV Without Going to the Doctor.
Can AIDS be transmitted by mouth? – here the answer
And now we come to the part of the oral contagion of AIDS. As a rule, AIDS is not transmitted either by urine, saliva, or tears. Nor can AIDS be spread by a kiss. The amount of HIV in these fluids is too little for infection to occur. The situation could change, however, if the infected person had some type of ulcer or small wound in the mouth.
The best thing, in these cases, is that you consult with your doctor so that he can give you the appropriate indications not to spread or spread HIV through saliva.
