On World AIDS Day (1 December 2016), a survey by Terrence Higgins Trust has revealed the extent to which myths and inaccuracies about HIV are still prevalent in the UK.

The YouGov survey of over 2,000 adults showed that one in five (20 per cent) Britons think that HIV can be transmitted by kissing, while 30 per cent of respondents believe that sharing a toothbrush with someone who is HIV positive can pass on the virus and one in 10 think that sharing scissors or hair clippers carries a risk of transmission.

In fact, all of these are medically inaccurate as the virus does not survive outside the body and cannot be passed on through saliva or skin-to-skin contact.

Ian Green, chief executive of Terrence Higgins Trust, said: “We’ve come a long way since the AIDS crisis first emerged, when the nation was gripped by panic and fear. Thankfully, we now know far more about how HIV is and is not transmitted, and medical advances now mean HIV doesn’t have to stand in the way of living a long and healthy life.

“But it’s not over – while science has moved on, we can see today that inaccurate myths from the 1980s are still deeply entrenched in society, both in terms of how HIV is transmitted, and what it’s like to live with HIV."

The survey also revealed public perceptions do not reflect how far HIV treatment itself has come in the past 30 years. Only 29 per cent were aware that people on effective HIV treatment can have children without passing on the virus, and just over half (58 per cent) of British adults believe that people with HIV can live into old age.

Meanwhile, only 16 per cent per cent of respondents agreed that there was currently an HIV epidemic in the UK.

Ian Green added: “The HIV epidemic is not over in the UK – there are more people living with HIV in the UK today than ever before. We must not let complacency and misunderstanding undo decades of progress. On World AIDS Day, it’s more important than ever that we’re still fighting, still caring, and still wearing our red ribbons with pride.”