Medical Questions » AIDS Questions » Question No. 11
| Question: | Can you catch AIDS by tongue kissing? |
| Answer: | A One-line questions such as this, scribbled on a scrap of paper, indicate to me that the public education about AIDS still has a long way to go!
NO. You cannot catch AIDS from kissing—no matter how passionate. AIDS cannot be caught by any form of casual encounter. It cannot be caught by shaking hands, by a cough or sneeze, by dirty toilets or by spa baths. It is theoretically possible, although unlikely, to catch AIDS from oral sex.
Normal intercourse and anal sex, as well as any method of transfer of contaminated blood products from one person to another (eg. a shared needle) are the only methods of AIDS transmission. Injections given by doctors or dentists are given using needles that are used once only. Even ear piercing is done by the use of stud guns that cannot transmit AIDS.
AIDS is quite a difficult disease to catch, but if you are promiscuous in your sexual habits, or are involved with illegal drugs, your chances increase dramatically. Condoms offer some protection against AIDS, but not 100% protection because they can burst or come off at the wrong time.
Can AIDS be cured now?
Unfortunately, no. Medical scientists have developed a wide range of medications that can be used to slow the progress of AIDS, particularly the transition from an inactive to an active form of the infection, and these can allow patients to lead a normal life for many years, but they do not cure this viral infection.
The drugs must be taken in quite large amounts and often while following a very strict time regime. It may be necessary to take several capsules four or five times a day. These drugs also have side effects, and some patients find these difficult to tolerate, while others have minimal problems.
It is often a decade or more from diagnosis before the infection flares up into its final stages with these medications.
The best treatment is still prevention.
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