[MERGED] Aids / Hiv

[foobar]

How exactly can a male be infected by HIV through intercourse if only the girl has HIV? I understand that HIV has to get into your blood system for you to get infected. So can the girl's fluids have to penetrate just your skin or through your penis? Will using a condom help?

Is there a better chance of a male getting from a girl or a girl from a guy if they use condoms?

[Ira]

It is very rare for HIV to be transmitted from an infected female to her male partner when you're talking about heterosexual intercourse, since the penis would have to be either infected with an open sore or tissue torn by extreme roughness in intercourse. It's not possible for the virus to penetrate intact skin. There will have to be an open wound somewhere on the penis (remember though, no matter how small, a wound is still a wound). HIV isn't purely blood-to-blood transmission, either. HIV is found in any body fluid or substance which contains lymphocytes (T4 cells). Substances containing lymphocytes include blood, semen, vaginal and cervical secretions, mother's milk, saliva, tears, urine, and feces. Transmission is easier from an infected male to a female than vice-versa, because the vaginal mucosa is more easily injured, and the semen contains higher concentrations of lymphocytes than vaginal fluids.

While latex condoms are not 100% effective, studies by the Center for Disease Control have shown it to reach almost 100% effectivity if used properly and consistently. It's not adviseable to use lambskin condoms though, because they are more porous, and HIV may be able to pass through the pores easily.

[foobar]

What about through the pubic hair? Can the HIV pass through the "holes" of the skin for hair? Whatever you call it...

[Ira]

Nope.

[clone18]

kung ikaw sinasuck ng may virus?
kung ikaw nag-suck ng meron?

[Ira]

Only if you have a skin breakage/wound where the virus can enter directly into your bloodstream.

[almightyge]

well..

to avoid hiv.. ABSTAIN THEN!!! wag ka mag pa suck.. or to suck..

diba? no worries! =)

[moody_meeh]

Originally posted by Ira
Only if you have a skin breakage/wound where the virus can enter directly into your bloodstream.

Doc, what's the relationship of bloodstream and unprotected sex? I mean, may blood or bloodstream involved ba during intercourse (Let's just assume no hymen breakage)?

Thanks doc!

[Ira]

Huh??!

There is a higher risk of transmission of HIV if fluid from an infected person gets in through a skin opening since the virus thrives in blood or blood products. Intact skin acts as a natural barrier against transmission. Use your imagination. I don't feel the need to go into details about the relationship between sex and blood.

[RalphLauren18]

is it true that everytime we have sex the my gf's vagina parang nasusugatan cause my friend told me ganun daw yun because of the friction inside ... ?!?!

[Ira]

That's not normal. More lubrication is probably needed.

[asterisk]

Can you get infected by swallowing the semen of an infected person?

[Ira]

It's considered a low risk method for catching HIV, although it's not a zero risk practice. A few people who have caught AIDS this way seem to have had open sores or gum disease in their mouth or throat at the time.

[moody_meeh]

Question nga po pala, doc Ira. If I understand it correctly, you can catch HIV by kissing; this is if you and your partner have sore mouth, or wound(s) in your mouth.

Am I correct? Thanks

[Ira]

Yes. But the concentration of HIV in saliva is not as high as in blood. It's considered a low risk method of catching HIV.

[mini_mi4]

Hey Doc. Isn't it that an hiv infected fluid (ie blood,semen,vaginal,saliva) can infect a skin if it has an open wound, abrasion & open sore.

Now Doc. Could you tell me specifically what'a an ideal sore? Is a rash similar to sore? if it's a different thing, what is a rash & could it be infected with the said hiv infected fluid?

And what if the sore is not an open sore, just a sore with no openings whatsoever, is an infected fluid capable of infecting a skin with that kind of sore?
I would really appreciate your immediate respond Doc Ira. Thank You

[Ira]

"Ideal sore"...?

A wound is an injury where there is a break in the continuity of the skin. I have never heard of a sore that doesn't have any openings whatsoever--your definition of a sore may not be what medicine defines sores to be. It doesn't have to be clean-cut like lacerations--with sores, your skin would at the very least be abraded (gasgas), and abrasions are still breaks in the skin's continuity. With rashes, there is no break in the skin's continuity, so it is not a wound.

[mini_mi4]

Thanks Doc.
So if a rash doesn't have a break on the skin, so it couldn't be infected by an hiv infected fluid? Tama ba? Pa-confirm lang Doc. Thanks

[Ira]

It depends on what type of rashes you mean. Some rashes will have blistering or secondary wound formation due to scratching, skin inflammation and thinning, etc. Some rashes, like urticaria, are simple and don't have any skin breakage. As long as there is no wound on the rash area, the risk is practically nil.

[mini_mi4]

Thanks again Doc.

How about rash caused by feces or urine (ie diaper rash)? Is that considered a simple rash without opening? Therefore cannot be infected by an hiv infected fluids?

Sorry for asking too much. I just need to know. Thank you