How we bust myths and misinformation around HIV / AIDS

Despite improvement in HIV/AIDS education, misinformation persists around transmission, testing, and treatment. Our mission is to dispel these myths and offer accurate information. Here, we share some common thoughts and facts that often surface in our classrooms on HIV/AIDS...

1) You don’t automatically get HIV if you have sex with someone who has it

There's a chance of passing on HIV through some kinds of sex. But taking effective medication for HIV means you can't pass it on. Anti-HIV medication reduces the amount of HIV infection in the body (the 'viral load'). If the viral load is very low it is 'undetectable' and can't be passed on.

2) People who have HIV can still make babies

HIV can be passed from person-to-person through body fluids (like semen), or from a pregnant person to their baby. If someone with HIV is taking effective medication, it reduces the amount of HIV in their body (the 'viral load'). Having a low viral load means that you can't pass on HIV, including through sex or pregnancy.

3) You can pass on HIV through different kinds of sex

Some people tell us they think of HIV as something that only gay men get. But HIV can be passed on from person to person of any sexuality. That's because it can be passed on through different types of sex, where one person's body fluids (e.g. semen or blood) come into contact with another person's body.

4) HIV is not just an issue in low-income countries

Many people believe that HIV/AIDS is confined to low-income countries, particularly in 'African countries.' These views not only perpetuate stereotypes and racist assumptions but also overlook the historical and ongoing inequalities often rooted in colonialism that contribute to the epidemic in these regions. While HIV/AIDS disproportionately affects certain regions with limited resources, it's important to recognise that HIV/AIDs is a global health concern that affects people from all walks of life.

For example, the annual official statistics data release reported “the number of HIV diagnoses in England rose by 22% from 3,118 in 2021 to 3,805 in 2022”.

The prevalence of HIV/AIDS in wealthier countries is often overshadowed by the stigmatisation of regions with fewer resources, but in reality the virus continues to be a global health challenge.

5) Condoms are not the only way to reduce the chance of passing on HIV

Barrier protection like condoms can help to reduce the chance of passing on HIV from person to person through different types of sex. But this is not the only way! Someone can take medication either before (PrEP) or after (PEP) they think they might have come into contact with HIV.

6) HIV is different from AIDS

Although these things are related, they are not quite the same thing! HIV - Human Immunodeficiency Virus - is the name of the infection. AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) is the name of the condition caused by HIV, where there is a lot of the virus in the body and someone's immune system is very weak. With effective medication, an HIV infection can be managed so that it doesn't ever progress to AIDS. So everyone who has AIDS also has an HIV infection, but not everyone who has HIV goes on to develop AIDS. In places like the UK, where many people have free access to anti-HIV medication, most people with HIV do not have AIDS. 

7) You can't pass on HIV through social contact

HIV is passed on by one person's body fluids (like blood, semen or fluid from the vagina, but not saliva or spit) getting inside another person. This can be done through some kinds of sex - for example sex involving a penis penetrating a vagina or anus. It can't be passed from skin-to-skin contact (e.g. shaking hands) or through body fluids like spit, tears, poo or wee (e.g. through kissing or oral sex).

8) You can have HIV without showing symptoms

Sometimes people assume they'll be able to tell if they get HIV because they'll have symptoms of it. But you can have HIV for a long time (often months) without showing signs. The best way to know whether or not you've got HIV, if you've had sex where there's a chance of it being passed on, is through STI testing (see below).

HIV Testing is easy and straightforward! You can get tested via

• An NHS sexual health clinic

• A HIV testing centre

• Your GP

• A HIV self-testing kit - takes a few minutes and involves a finger-prick!

• Postal testing kit

Further information

1. W.H.O.

2. HIV testing, PrEP, new HIV diagnoses and care outcomes for people accessing HIV services: 2023 report - GOV.UK

3. Terrence Higgins Trust

Our book ‘Sex Ed: An Inclusive Teenage Guide to Sex and Relationships’​ ​ is out​ ​now.

Tackling Abortion Misinformation on University Campus

We’ve been contacted by some UK students, concerned that an anti-abortion society has been formed on campus - and seems to have been officially recognised by the university. Here are some anti-choice arguments you might hear and why they need to be challenged… 

“Having an abortion involves killing a baby”

No. An abortion is a medical procedure, to intentionally end a pregnancy. In the UK, abortion is allowed up to 24 weeks of development. At this stage a fetus is unable to feel pain(1) or function and live outside of a womb(2). 

“Abortions are dangerous and harmful to pregnant people”

No. Legal abortions are very safe. Having an abortion provided by healthcare professionals is safer than giving birth(3). It is also safer than having your tonsils out(4), running a marathon(4) or even taking viagra(4). 

Meanwhile unsafe abortion (e.g. restricted access to legal, medically supervised care) is a leading cause of preventable deaths of pregnant people(4). 

“Allowing anti-abortion groups to form and carry out their activities on university campuses is an important part of free-speech and democracy”

No. Universities have a duty of care to their students and must ensure their resources are not used to harm them. Whilst everyone is entitled to hold private views on abortion and make decisions about their own bodies and healthcare, anti-choice groups do not exist to support these principles. Instead, they exist to promote stigma and fear around abortion care - as well as to spread misinformation that contradicts leading health authorities such as the WHO, that recognise that abortion care is a common and important part of reproductive healthcare(4).

“Being allowed to express anti-abortion views in public is an important part of religious freedom”

No. People of many faiths choose to have abortions(5). Having access to safe and legal abortions, without shame or fear, does not take away a person’s individual right to decide what is spiritually or ethically right for them. Promoting abortion stigma and misinformation however, does challenge this right. It can cause harm by making it harder for someone to seek abortion care. 

What can you do to challenge harmful anti-abortion views on campus? 

• Encourage accurate and stigma-free abortion discussion with those around you. You might like to share this blog, our mini-series on abortion(6) or projects that portray accurate experiences of abortion(7) to help do this. 

• Report any harm you or other students experience on campus from anti-choice groups - for example to NUS reps, university wellbeing and health services, or your course tutor. 

• Talk to any university groups who might want to help support - perhaps your university’s FemSoc or health education group might want to hold an event or take action around abortion rights. 

References: 

1. RCOG (https://bit.ly/389Rb3P)

2. RCOG (https://bit.ly/3LW14AD)

3. Raymond and Grimes, 2012 (https://bit.ly/389P93G)

4. W.H.O. (https://bit.ly/38UjX8B)

5. Guttmacher Institute (https://bit.ly/3Fm8c77)

6. schoolofsexed.org/blog-articles/2020/4/16

7. msichoices.org.uk/abortion/abortion-stories/

Our book ‘Sex Ed: An Inclusive Teenage Guide to Sex and Relationships’​ ​ is out​ ​now.

Our response to the Education Minister

At School of Sexuality Education, we are proud of our inclusive, comprehensive, and evidence-based approach to delivering Relationships and Sex Education. It is something we have always been transparent about and actively promoted. This includes sharing our work directly with parents and carers. We regularly take time to meet with them and not only show them our content, but talk through our approach to those interested in it. 

As such, we are baffled by the recent letters issued by the Secretary of State for Education, Gillian Keegan. In these letters the Minister instructs schools and parents, (other carers and guardians of young people appear to be pointedly excluded in the address), on their rights to see teaching materials used by external providers who are delivering content around relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) within schools.  

We regularly deliver sessions specifically for parents and carers, as well as working with students within homeschools. We know parents and carers are important stakeholders in meeting children and young peoples’ needs. The Education Minister’s letters portray the relationship between parents and specialist RSHE providers as an adversarial one. Not only is this an unhelpful view, but it also does not accurately reflect our experiences. Most of the parents and carers who take the time to engage with us are pleased (relieved even) that someone is taking the time to start conversations with their children about subjects that they often find embarrassing and difficult to tackle. 

This is a sentiment often echoed by teaching staff. The current RSHE curriculum only became a mandatory subject in English schools in 2019 (with a grace period of a year granted due to the difficulties accompanying the pandemic). Since this time very little training, guidance or financial resources have been made available from the central government to support schools in implementing this change. This is especially shameful, considering how important high quality education in this area is to the wellbeing and secure development of young people.

Our organisation is made up of professionals with a range of backgrounds - including healthcare, education, safeguarding, academics and other specialisms. Expert RSE providers like ourselves exist precisely because of this failure to adequately support schools in meeting the RSHE needs of their students. Casting aspersions on the organisations which have come about to fill the gaps left by the government does nothing to improve education in this area. 

The Minister’s letters suggest that specialist RSHE providers like ourselves are secretive organisations. This simply isn’t accurate. Like many experts in the field, we are proud of the work that we do and strive to actively promote our approach. We’ve even written a book about it, Sex Ed: An Inclusive Teenage Guide to Sex and Relationships - widely available to anyone with a library card.

When RSHE appears in the headlines, we invariably see an increase in the number of parents and carers who contact us directly. Although as a small charity this can feel overwhelming in terms of our capacity, ultimately it is a chance to engage and include more people who largely want the same thing as us. 

Gillian Keegan ends her letter to parents encouraging them to read and respond to the upcoming RSHE review. We would seek and encourage all parents and carers interested in the wellbeing of young people to do the same - not just those who seek to politicise youth wellbeing with the aim of censoring evidence-based RSHE.