In 1991, Italian immunologist Fernando Aiuti made headlines when he kissed Rosaria Iardino, a 25-year-old woman living with HIV, on the mouth in front of photographers in Cagliari, Italy.
At the time, fear and misinformation surrounding HIV/AIDS were widespread, and many people wrongly believed the virus could spread through ordinary physical contact, including kissing.
The public demonstration was intended to challenge these misconceptions and combat the discrimination faced by people living with HIV.
HIV is not transmitted through saliva, hugging, sharing food, or ordinary kissing.
The virus spreads primarily through specific body fluids, including blood, semen, vaginal fluids, rectal fluids, and breast milk.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, closed-mouth kissing carries no risk of HIV transmission.
Deep, open-mouth kissing is also considered extremely low risk, although transmission could rarely be possible if blood from bleeding gums or mouth sores enters another person’s bloodstream
