Dear Alice,
Although this may sound like a really silly question coming from a
graduate student, it's something I need to find out. A couple of weeks
ago I was at a party. A "gay" friend of my came over to me and kissed me
near my mouth. As it turns out, this person was recently diagnosed as
having the AIDS virus. Now, I am completely paranoid. I am a monogamous,
as well as an incredibly responsible individual. Please let me know if I
need to be "tested," or if I am worrying in vain. I hope you take the time
to answer this question, because I am sure there are plenty of people who
share the same concern.
Signed,
Is it the Kiss of Death?
Dear Is it the Kiss of Death?,
No, it was definitely not a fatal kiss. Think about how rampant the
virus would actually be if it could be transmitted by kissing, sharing
glasses, utensils, or toothbrushes. It takes an infected person's bodily
fluids (not including saliva) to contact your mucous membranes (inside
the mouth, vagina, penis, or anus) to potentially transmit HIV, the AIDS
virus. No cases of HIV transmitted by kissing alone have been reported.
In fact, it would take a quart size Chinese food container of saliva AT
THE SAME TIME to have enough concentration of the virus to potentially be
transmitted.
Here are the ONLY ways you can get the AIDS virus:
- Contact of infected blood, semen, or vaginal and cervical secretions
with mucous membranes (i.e., sexual contact, unprotected health workers)
- Injection of infected blood or blood products (i.e., with shared
needle)
- Perinatal transmission (from infected mother to fetus)
If you are practicing safer sex — vaginal, anal, and oral — and are
not sharing needles, you should have nothing to worry about. All of this
information and more can be found in the Columbia University Handbook on HIV and AIDS, which you can pick up for free at Health Services at Columbia (John Jay Hall) if you would like to know more.
- Alice
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Kissed by someone HIV+
