Can Kissing Transmit HIV?

Posted by Tom Thayer in Health, News

Jan
25

We get this question asked about everyday at our office. NO…YOU-CAN’T-GET-HIV-FROM-GENERAL-KISSING.

There are several body fluids that can carry the HIV virus. The ones “everyday people” are likely to come into contact with are: blood, semen, vaginal fluid and breast milk. There are also other bodily fluids that can carry the virus that health care workers could come into contact with, such as the fluid around the spinal cord and the brain. As you can see, saliva is nowhere in the list.

Now if salivia with infected blood is being exchanged. Example: you or your partner have mouth sores, bleeding gums or something similar, and you’re worried about HIV, don’t deep kiss until there is no bleeding. That should keep you safe. In addition to the above, HIV does not live well at all outside the body. So you cant’ catch HIV from a toilet seat, etc. Sex is easily the most common way to transmit or “catch” HIV. And, despite the “homosexual sex leads to AIDS” hysteria that was rampant a decade or two ago, heterosexual sex with an infected person is just as dangerous. So having unprotected sex with an untested person can be risky.

HIV/AIDS not really a “kissing” disease, or a coughing- or saliva-based infection. For those of you who were too young to remember the ’80s and early ’90s, there was a LOT of hysteria and misinformation out there regarding HIV, and some of that still lingers today. That’s our PSA for the day… so, go forth and kiss my friends…

Tom Thayer

info: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thomas-p-connelly-dds/kissing-and-hiv_b_1082254.html