HIV prevention worker here, ask me anything

[sybarite1981]

I'm an HIV prevention worker in an English speaking country other than America. (I'd rather not say where exactly - it's a small sector here and I want to keep my privacy!) If you've been confused or wondering about something, feel free to ask me. I'll do my best to answer your questions but some I will have to refer to a GP or infoline.

 

[yoyo888]

You remind me of Leo M, or real name Jason Leo MacKinnon.

He does a LOT of that kind of work over here in England.

Sadly he became HIV+ at the age of 19.

Hopefully the name Leo Mac rings a bell. That cutie British porn actor

But anyway back to your thing. Glad you are doing some EXCELLENT work

 

[nacho_menos]

Question, Does reducing your viral load, decreases the risk of transmitting HIV virus when having unprotected activities?

 

[sybarite1981]

Question, Does reducing your viral load, decreases the risk of transmitting HIV virus when having unprotected activities?

It does - if you get it down to undetectable, and don't have any STI. But it's not a guarantee. Viral load can bounce around from day to day. An STI can increase viral load in your semen, even though it's undetectable in your blood. And if your neg partner has an STI, that can make transmission easier, even though your viral load is low. So, takehome points: yes, the risk is lower, but you need to have up-to-date viral load, and regular testing for other STI.

 

[sybarite1981]

You remind me of Leo M, or real name Jason Leo MacKinnon.

He does a LOT of that kind of work over here in England.

Sadly he became HIV+ at the age of 19.

Hopefully the name Leo Mac rings a bell. That cutie British porn actor

But anyway back to your thing. Glad you are doing some EXCELLENT work

Thanks Yoyo! I've added Leo on Twitter, always good to meet smart new people.

 

[tonka]

People seem to think that you only become HIV+ from bareback anal sex, or direct contact with blood? That oral sex is very safe.
How safe is sucking cock and eating ass?

 

[Dog]

Will it ever be cured?

 

[Ard san Aer]

Please don't laugh but is it only gay men or straight men who transmit can actually get the virus or can Lesbians contract HIV from multiple women partners by that I mean partners who have only ever been with women. What I'm asking is HIV an male virus that we caused and spread?

 

[mackerel]

Whats a good indications/symptoms of HIV? both on yourself and the other person. Thanks

 

[nacho_menos]

It does - if you get it down to undetectable, and don't have any STI. But it's not a guarantee. Viral load can bounce around from day to day. An STI can increase viral load in your semen, even though it's undetectable in your blood. And if your neg partner has an STI, that can make transmission easier, even though your viral load is low. So, takehome points: yes, the risk is lower, but you need to have up-to-date viral load, and regular testing for other STI.

thanks dude!

 

[sybarite1981]

People seem to think that you only become HIV+ from bareback anal sex, or direct contact with blood? That oral sex is very safe.
How safe is sucking cock and eating ass?

Oral sex can cause transmission, but it's so uncommon, there haven't been enough cases for us to estimate accurately how common it is. But with 35 million people infected with HIV in the world, if it was even a tiny risk, there would be hundreds of thousands of people whose only risk factor was oral, and studies just haven't found that. If you're an orally fixated guy, make sure you have good dental hygiene, then you don't have to worry about it, because saliva and stomach acid both neutralise HIV, and the lining of your mouth and throat are designed to stop anything entering your body without going via your stomach and liver first. Eating ass is def. not an HIV risk (unless you're felching) - the main concerns there are STI like gut bugs or hepatitis A from tiny traces of fecal matter. Get vaccinated for hep A & B!

 

[sybarite1981]

Please don't laugh but is it only gay men or straight men who transmit can actually get the virus or can Lesbians contract HIV from multiple women partners by that I mean partners who have only ever been with women. What I'm asking is HIV an male virus that we caused and spread?

The majority of people living with HIV in the world are women, but nearly all of them got it from a man or a needle (or both). Lesbian transmission definitely happens but it tends to occur via intravenous drug use, piercing or rough play where there are traces of blood. Although I think it's much less common than gay male HIV transmission, I want to note that lesbians living with HIV are a neglected minority who are very much misunderstood.

 

[sybarite1981]

Whats a good indications/symptoms of HIV? both on yourself and the other person. Thanks

There are two questions here and I need to split them apart:

1. How can I know if I'm HIV-positive?
2. How can I know if another guy is HIV-positive?

1. How can I know if I'm HIV-positive?

This is a great question to be asking. Most new HIV infections are passed on by someone who has only just been infected themselves, before they get tested, and if you can recognise the symptoms of 'acute' (early stage) infection, you can stop fucking and get tested. Getting a positive diagnosis is always going to be devastating, but knowing you didn't pass it on will make it a lot easier.

Facts: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001629/

Scroll down to Symptoms. Not everyone gets symptoms. People who experience symptoms often mention high fever, night sweats, feeling incredibly tired, and swollen glands in the neck, armpits and groin.

If you're having those symptoms, your doctor (in a country with good lab facilities) can order an 'incident HIV infection test', which will pick it up as early as 12 days after infection.

2. How can I know if another guy is HIV-positive?

Answer: you can't. He might be a newly-infected guy who doesn't have any symptoms, so he thinks and says "I'm negative" (or worse, "I'm clean") but his viral load - the amount of virus in his blood and semen - is incredibly high, making it much easier to pass the virus on to you. Or he might be a long-term person living with HIV who is on treatments, so he looks healthy, and if his viral load is undetectable and you use a condom, there is almost no chance of him passing the virus on to you (even if it breaks).

People often ask this question because they want to 'screen' their partners and reject the positive ones. I hope this answer shows why that's a dumb approach - it will let in the most infectious ones and exclude the safe, responsible ones.