How To Survive The Suburbs?

How can HIV survive heating?

• I've read claims that if a bag of infected donated blood is MICROWAVED, the virus can still survive? This seems like B.S. to me. I thought HIV was supposed to be one of the most fragile pathogens around? That it can only survive a short while outside of the body? So how could it survive being HEATED to 212 F? It is my understanding that ALL pathogens (viruses, bacteria, parasites, etc.) are killed at temperatures exceeding 160 F ... this is why recipes call for heating to at least this temperature. So if HIV is one of the most "fragile" viruses around, how could it possibly survive something that KILLS OFF other bacteria and parasites? In addition, by that logic, if microwaving doesn't kill the virus, then that would mean COOKING doesn't kill it. In which case, every single thing you put in your mouth, whether it was prepared by you or not, could potentially infect you with the virus. Because all food is handled prior to being in your hands ... there is no way to know what any food could be contaminted with prior to cooking. ANY food could be tainted with HIV-infected fluids. The lack of fear is predicated on the assumption that COOKING DESTROYS THE HIV VIRUS. If you didn't prepare the food yourself (meaning it could have been contaminated post-cooking), the virus should still be deactivated after being exposed to the atmosphere. But failing all of that, I guess you should stop putting anything in your mouth.

• Answer:

  Yes, HIV is killed by high temperatures. However, I want to note that HIV also does not last long in open air, and in order for food to be infected, people would need to bleed or secrete sexual fluids on the food, the food would not be thoroughly cooked and then, within 20 minutes, you would have to rub the uncooked food either in your genitals or in an open wound. Due to the complexity of the transmission, it is highly unlikely you would get HIV from food anyway. Lastly, heat does NOT kill all infectious agents. In fact an infectious agent called a prion is, in essence, a protein. It is responsible for mad cow disease (which leads to a form of Creutzfelt-Jacobs disease in humans). It requires temperatures of up to 1800 degrees Fahrenheit to be neutralized.