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Old Dec 30, 2008, 05:56 PM
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kim_johnson kim_johnson is offline
Poohbah
 
Member Since: May 2008
Posts: 1,225
There is a great deal of scientific research that has been done on the nature of the HIV virus. The sorts of things that it can penetrate through, the sorts of mediums it can survive in (personal fluids or doorhandles etc), the amount of HIV virus that one needs to be exposed to in particular ways in order for someone to be at risk of contracting the virus etc. It would really be quite surprising if that research was completely wrong in the way you suggest. It would probably be about as likely that we are as severely misguided about cancer or diabetes or parkinsons etc etc etc... Which is basically to say... It really isn't very likely at all. I suppose that quantum indeterminacies might possibly 'percolate up' to the macroscopic level such that one could in fact contract HIV from a doorhandle. It would be similarly likely that the quantum indeterminicies would result in a purple elephant materializing in front of one, however. It is probably significantly more likely that you will get hit by a bus or a falling plane or lightening or be the victim of earthquake etc etc etc.

We know condoms (when used properly) are effective for preventing HIV infection in the face of sexual interactions because there are some couples where only one partner has the virus and when they use condoms properly the other partner does not contract the virus. These couples do all kinds of other couple things normally. They exchange saliva through kissing. They sleep in the same bed. They eat from the same bowls. They touch the same doorhandles etc. The other partner only contracts the virus when they have sexual interaction without using condoms properly. Research shows this to be so.

> I know you can get AIDS from door handles and touching things, but no one listens because they just think its OCD when really I have a special insight and I know things that other people don't.

Well... In the face of all the scientific research that we have about how the virus is and is not contracted... How is it that you 'know' you can get HIV from door handles etc? Do you know of a single case where this has happened and the person couldn't have contracted it from alternatives (such as using a dirty needle / having unprotected sexual relations)? What is the nature of your special insight? A feeling? What if I strongly felt that if I stepped on a crack that I would contract diabetes? What would you say to me?