Can You Get HIV From A Mosquito? Expert At USF Separates True From False

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — A group of students at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg learned misconceptions about HIV/AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) held by many people, health advancement for HIV and safe sex practices on World AIDS Day.

Pablo Herrera, a sexual health specialist at Metro Inclusive Health, led the discussion at the university's multicultural affairs office Wednesday. Samantha Gray, a graduate assistant and a member of the LGBTQ+ community, told Patch that she and another graduate student, Cadin Small, wanted to remove false ideas surrounding HIV/AIDS.

"We decided to take more of a misinformation look at this, and we didn't feel like we were the experts on that," Gray said. "Cadin knew Pablo from previous interactions so we called him, and he was super excited to come. We figured we'd let the expert talk."

Gray feels like today's younger generations do not have the level of HIV/AIDS awareness that older generations have.

"I was in a talk the other day at a Metro event, and somebody who works in the multicultural affairs office at St. Pete was talking about growing up in the '80s, and how different it was from now—you were so aware of it. He watched friends die, and it was a lot scarier," Gray said. "I feel like for us, it was different. We learned about it in seventh grade science class for two days here in Florida. And they were like, 'Don't touch people's blood,' and I never heard about it again."

Gray learned more about HIV/AIDS when she came out in the queer community. She said she couldn't talk about it with her straight friends because they didn't believe it affected them.

HIV/AIDS can possibly affect anyone engaging in unprotected sex or oral sex with another person who has detectable HIV, AIDS or an STI, Herrera said at the event. It can also be contracted through shared needles to inject drugs or reused needles at a tattoo parlor.

Misunderstandings

Herrera shared an HIV questionnaire with the attendees to test their knowledge and clear up misinformation. One of the questions asked if a mosquito bites a person with HIV and then bites you, can it transmit the STD to the next person it bites?

"When the mosquito takes in HIV particles, they are destroyed in its system," Herrera said. "HIV has nothing it can attach to inside a mosquito. It dies inside a mosquito."

Herrera also said if a mosquito that bit an HIV-infected person lands on your arm, and you smash it, you're safe.

More From Metro's Questionnaire:

• Some people think if your partner wears two or more condoms it makes sex safer and decreases pregnancy risk. No, it does the opposite, Herrera said.
• You can become infected with HIV from a toilet seat, a drinking fountain or a door knob. False. According to Medical News Today, HIV does not typically survive for long outside the body, where it cannot replicate. The virus dies quickly upon exposure to light and air.
• Which bodily fluid does NOT transmit the HIV virus? Blood, semen, vaginal fluid, breast milk or saliva? Saliva. A person can contract HIV if damaged tissue or a mucous membrane, such as those in the rectum, penis, vagina, or mouth, comes into contact with bodily fluids that contain the virus, according to Medical News Today.

HIV/AIDS Health Advancements

Hererra suggested that people who are sexually active get tested once every three months.

Free HIV tests are available at Metro.

An advancement in STD healthcare is PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis), a medicine that prevents HIV after a possible exposure, according to Herrera. PEP is available for free at Metro and should be taken within 72 hours of exposure.

PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) is a daily pill that can help prevent HIV, Herrera said. It is available at Metro for a fee. They work with those who have insurance and don't have insurance. Certain medications can help people living with HIV live a healthy life, and they can possibly continue to have intimate relationships when the HIV becomes undetectable, Herrera said.

Undetectable HIV

The amount of time for which HIV becomes undetectable in someone on antiretroviral therapy treatment varies from each person, Herrera explained. For some, it could take a couple months and for others it could take over a year.

People living with HIV can engage in sex once treatment has suppressed the amount of the virus in body fluids to the point where standard tests are unable to detect any HIV, or can only find a tiny trace, according to aidsmap.

"People living with HIV who are undetectable cannot transmit HIV through sex," Herrera said. "Those who are detectable can likely pass it on because their viral load is high."

Herrera said that a person will not get HIV every time they have sex with someone who carries HIV. But experts say it pays to be safe every time rather than sorry.

What Students Were Thankful They Learned

Several students gave different reasons they were glad they attended the event. A student from the University of Central Florida, Greyson Lankford, 23, who attended with his USF student fiance, told a Patch reporter that coming to the event will help him explain the misconceptions about HIV/AIDS to his family, and raise awareness for others.

Lankford's fiance, Destiny Gomez, 23, said xe learned there's a 4 percent chance to get HIV through oral sex.

"It makes me feel more educated, especially in regards to how U equals U, which means if you're undetectable you can't spread it," Gomez said. "There are so many false narratives out there that basically say if you have it, you can always spread it, but to know that if you're on your medication you're safe and you can be safe for your partner as well."

Mars Hernandez, 20, told Patch that she wasn't aware of how transmittable HIV was in the first stages. "I also didn't know how much PREP actually helps. I learned more about how preventable it is to have it transmitted. You know the way they make it seem is if you get HIV then you're screwed for life and you can never have sex," Hernandez said. "I see a lot of that in the media. But that's not what it is at all, and I feel relieved for people with HIV. It's nice to see that there's alternatives to live."

Metro Condom Art Show

Metro Inclusivitea's St. Petersburg location is having a condom art show in honor of WORLD AIDS Day Friday evening. Part of the art displays include a dress made out of condoms.

The event is from 6:30 p.m. - 8 p.m. This exhibition is intended to break barriers in an effort to de-stigmatize discussions about sexual heath, while allowing candid conversations about safer sex practices, and enforcing the importance of communication in getting tested regularly, its website said.

Inclusivitea, 2235 Central Ave, St. Petersburg is the former Metro Retail Thrift Shop next to the LGBTQ Welcome Center. For more information, find out here. Masks are required while walking around inside Inclusivitea for COVID-19 protection.