To date, there has really been only one, rather dubious case where an HIV-negative woman was said to have been infected by her HIV-positive male partner, who reportedly deep kissed her on a regular basis over a two-year period—often with bleeding gums.
What makes the case—which was reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) back in 1996—highly suspect is the fact that the couple also reported condom breakage during the same period, using a nonoxynol-9 lubricant (now known to increase HIV risk in women), and having vaginal sex and oral sex without condoms during the span of their relationship.
While the CDC reported that they suspected HIV transmission was “possibly associated with exposure of mucous membranes to contaminated blood,” they could not exclude vaginal sex, oral sex, or any other possibility.
Beyond this one incident, there has been no documented case wherein kissing alone was identified as the mode of HIV transmission in either a sexual or social situation.
Establishing the Conditions for HIV Transmission
It’s important to always remember that there are four conditions that must be met in order for HIV transmission to take place:
There must be body fluids in which HIV can thrive, such as semen, blood, vaginal fluids, or breast milk. HIV cannot thrive in the open air or in parts of the body with high acid content (such as the stomach or bladder) or antimicrobial defenses (such as the mouth). There must be a route of transmission, such as through certain sexual activities, shared needles, occupational exposure, or transmission from mother to child. There must be a means for the virus to reach vulnerable cells inside your body, either through a rupture or penetration of the skin, absorption through mucosal tissues, or both. HIV cannot penetrate intact skin. There must be sufficient levels of virus in the body fluids, which is why saliva, sweat, and tears are unlikely sources since the level of virus in these fluids is considered insufficient for infection.
Based on these conditions, the likelihood of HIV transmission by kissing is not only considered low but pretty much near impossible.
AIDS Phobia and Conspiracy Theorists
With that being said, there are people who still fear that infection is possible from the unlikely sources, including touching, mosquitos, shared grooming products, and kissing. AIDS phobia, the paralyzing and unreasonable fear of HIV, plays a huge part in these beliefs. At other times, a person may prescribe to a contrarian view about HIV or are simply misinformed about HIV in general.
For these individuals, counseling with a qualified professional may be needed as well as psychotherapy for those experiencing extreme anxiety or depression. Additionally, if the person is at risk of acquiring HIV or in a mixed-status (serodiscordant) relationship, doctors may want to consider prescribing HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)—a type of therapy (either in the form of a daily pill or an injection every two months) that can reduce the risk of HIV by more than 90%.
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