Back to the old drawing board, I see...
I find no evidence that HIV can "piggyback" per se along with bacterial STDs in the manner described above.
HOWEVER -- the NOTION that individuals with OTHER STDs are at higher risk for both transmission and infection of HIV is quite correct.
Many factors come into play here. General unsafe and promiscuous behavior is one of them: if a guy is out fucking everything that moves and not using any protection... it stands to reason that if he caught ONE STD he just might have caught another.
Other factors include the open sores that some STDs exhibit, which naturally allow for an easier mode of entry for HIV and other STDs into the body.
Additionally, though we aren't entirely certain WHY, it seems that people with TWO STDs are more likely to be MORE contagious than people with just ONE. In other words, if you have HIV AND gonorrhea you will probably be shedding MORE HIV AND more gonorrhea (virus and bacteria, respectively), thereby making you more contagious to your partner(s).
One guy here is posting SECOND HAND information, stating that his ex sucked off a guy with gonorrhea AND HIV. This resulted in his partner becoming HIV poz AND catching gonorrhea.
How do we know this to be true? How do we know his partner didn't get gonorrhea in the throat and then go out and suck ANOTHER guy with HIV? How do we know his partner is telling the truth and/or how do we know that his partner did not catch HIV from FUCKING someone else while getting his gonorrhea gift from the original dude?
We don't know, we cannot know -- and therein lies the problem. It is, in fact, an ONGOING problem with HIV infection statistics. We most often have to rely on what someone tells us because it is nearly impossible in most cases to determine where, when or how someone became infected.
The story posted above is POSSIBLE -- but it is by NO MEANS a certainty, no matter how much the poster wants to believe it -- he cannot EVER know for sure. It is just as likely that his ex is lying to save face as it is that his ex is telling the truth.
The bottom line is that HIV infection from GIVING oral is certainly possible. It become more possible if someone has an active STD because HIV has an easier mode of entry into the bloodstream. It is also true that HIV is far more likely to be transmitted via anal intercourse and it is true that many men suck dick for twenty or thirty years and eat cum and never get infected. But we cannot use this alone to tell other people that taking semen into their mouths is safe. It is not "safe." It is "safer" than some other sexual acts.
The choice is yours alone to make if you want to accept this level of risk, low as it might be.
What you believe might be a very low risk situation might be higher risk because of factors you cannot possibly determine in the heat of passion, such as an additional, underlying STD of another nature. Or, as mentioned, the status of your OWN oral cavity. Do you have gingivitis? Did you recently bite your tongue or the inside lining of your cheek? If your partner happens to have HIV, does he even KNOW he's got it? Did you two discuss it? Probably not. And if you DO suck the cum from a poz guy -- it DOES matter what STAGE of infection he's currently in and it also matters if he has ANOTHER STD. It matters if he's on meds or not. It matters if he's got TWO strains of HIV as opposed to one.
Clearly, we can see that the myriad possibilities make answering this question far more complex than it might seem at the surface. And this is EXACTLY why the science involved is so damn difficult.
Therefore, the recommendations for certain sexual practices remain the same as they have for many years now. Since we are discussing oral sex, we'll stick to stating ONLY what is recommended for that:
If you are going to have oral sex with someone, it is "safer" to be the orally insertive partner. The risk of catching HIV from BEING sucked off is pretty damn low -- but again, in THEORY, it is possible if MANY conditions are perfectly met. The risk goes up for the guy DOING the sucking. The risk goes even higher if the partner has a lot of pre-ejaculate. The risk goes even higher yet again if the partner ejaculates in your mouth.
The distinction between swallowing and NOT swallowing is dubious at best. HIV is killed by stomach acids, but it must first travel down the throat where it has been shown that infection is possible from taking this route, through the tonsils and from general contact with the delicate mucosa of the esophagus. Spitting out semen may or may not matter -- HIV infection can occur in the mouth, too.
Again, conditions must be JUST RIGHT for this to happen.
But just because you brush your teeth three times a day and have healthy gums does NOT mean that you are "safe."
The fact remains: you CANNOT KNOW for sure.
The fact also remains: HIV infection from oral is FAR more difficult than HIV infection from unprotected anal. Again, it is true that millions of guys suck dick and eat cum for YEARS and do not get infected. But of the men who DO get infected, we simply CANNOT know if they got infected from oral ONLY or if it was another sexual act. Furthermore, if they DID get infected from oral and are telling us the truth, we cannot always know the mitigating circumstances that led to infection: ie., if the guy had a cut or sore in his mouth or another STD, etc.
Yes, HIV IS a delicate virus. But guess what? It is BOTH delicate AND damn, fucking TOUGH, too.
ENVIRONMENT matters. The SEXUAL environment of bodily fluids makes HIV very happy indeed. Left to dry on the bed linens -- it is of little concern.
AMOUNT of virus matters, too. As does (in some cases) repeated exposure. Yes, you can get HIV from ONE EXPOSURE, no problem. But you can get it after MULTIPLE exposures, too. We are not sure if repeated exposure allows for the body to "give up" on fighting HIV each time it enters. SMALL amounts of HIV are destroyed by our immune systems. But if you get too much for your body to handle, and it enters MORE directly into the bloodstream... your body can't fight it all and once it enters your cells... that's it.
Now, here's link containing all this information from the PREMIER website regarding HIV (and other STDs). The portion regarding the increased risk factor for HIV transmission when coupled with OTHER STDs is about two-thirds of the way down the page, but I suggest you read it ALL.
http://www.thebody.com/sfaf/autumn00/std.html
The above is pretty basic, "college level" material. The site itself, however, contains MUCH more complicated and detailed medical information if you care to spend some time there educating yourself, which is always a good idea. But for starters, at least there's a link to some plain, straight-talk about HIV and other STDs.
I've grown VERY tired of nasty, catty faggots who can't keep a civil tongue -- this is a problem that has become more and more prevalent these days, and it is literally KILLING our community, in both spirit and BODY. If all we can do is berate someone who spouts a bit of slightly confused information (especially when that person has all good intentions), we are doing NOTHING to help SOLVE the problems we face as dicksucking brothers and cunt-licking sisters. All we're doing is creating tension and promoting derision. Keep this up and the REAL facts, the REAL information we ALL need to know will never reach the intended audience.
We seem to forget that there are now TWO generations of gay men who have lived their entire lives with HIV in existence. There are YOUNG MEN out there who are uneducated despite this -- or maybe even BECAUSE of it and the resulting COMPLACENCY on the part of those who have lived the gay life BEFORE HIV ever existed.
We can't shirk our responsibilities to these young men -- nor to the older men who have never taken the time to LEARN how to protect themselves. Yes, it is sometimes galling and frightening and it is easy to get uptight and offended when someone displays a lack of knowledge that we might consider plainly obvious. But if we just get bitchy about it and do NOT take a moment to TEACH what must be learned... WE are part of the problem and not the solution.
WHY gay men are becoming more and more rotten to each other these days is a mystery to me and something for another post at another time. Yet it is worth stating here that this bad attitude is not only poor behavior in general, but as we can see... it can actually kill when it comes to something like HIV.
EDUCATE, don't BERATE.
Now, who wants to say something rude to me because I typed a lot of WORDS?
How about instead you guys go read the link above? |