HIV - An Update

Gay and Bisexual men remain the largest group infected with HIV that has been acquired in the UK; to find out the latest figures visit the Health Protection Agency’s web site at www.hpa.org.uk

In order for a person to become infected with HIV through sex, a HIV negative person would need to have had sex with a person already living with the virus. The most common route of transmission during sex between men is fucking or being fucked without a condom.

Men often decide to have sex without a condom for many reasons, if you decide not to use condoms there are certain things that you need to know about HIV.

  • You cannot tell who has HIV and who does not have HIV just by looking at them.
  • If you become infected with HIV, blame will not have any affect on your HIV status.
  • HIV transmission occurs between both long-term sexual partners and between new sexual partners. Having being in a relationship for a long time will not tell you what your or your partners HIV status is.

In order for new HIV transmissions to reduce each Gay and Bisexual man who is sexually active needs to accept equal responsibility for influencing the likelihood of HIV transmission during sex. If you are HIV negative you should not assume that a person who knows they are HIV positive should or would tell you that they are living with HIV.

Using a condom and water based lube whilst fucking is the most effective way to prevent HIV transmission. When men who have a different HIV status to each other have sex without a condom there are ways to reduce the likelihood of HIV transmission.

Certain other STIs such as Gonorrhoea, NSU, Herpes and Syphilis are known to make transmission of HIV more likely to occur when the HIV virus is present. If you know that you are likely to have sex without a condom you could choose to access a sexual health screening. Many Gay men who have an STI will be unaware they have one, the only way to know for sure is by having a sexual health screen.

If you do not know the HIV status of your sexual partner and he is fucking you, if he cums inside you and he has HIV the risk of transmission rises. Tell your partner what you want to happen before you get to it.

Using lube will reduce the likelihood of rips n tears that are often so small we don’t know they happened. Rips and tears equal a higher risk of blood being present and offer an easier transmission route for HIV. Plenty of water based lube also reduces the risk of your condom breaking.

If you would like to find out more information about HIV and sexual health or collect condoms and lube and/or other information contact your local office. Our service is confidential. Whatever your HIV status is, Yorkshire MESMAC aims to provide services that allow Gay and Bisexual men to talk about the issues that are affecting you. Information will be provided in a clear, accurate and non-judgmental way.

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