Where To Get Help
- Communicable Disease Control Unit, Department of Health Victoria Tel. 1300 651 160
- Immunisation Unit, Department of Health, Victorian Government Email:
- NURSE-ON-CALL Tel. 1300 606 024 for expert health information and advice
- Heymann, D. L. , Control of Communicable Diseases Manual, 18th edition, American Public Health Association, Washington.
- Communicable Diseases Network Australia, Guidelines for the early clinical and public health management of meningococcal disease in Australia – Revised Edition 2007, Department of Health and Ageing, Australian Government.
- Blue book – Guidelines for the control of infectious diseases, , Infectious Diseases Epidemiology and Surveillance , Department of Health, Victorian Government. More information here.
- Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Infection in Healthcare , National Health and Medical Research Council, Australian Government. More information here.
Is There A Risk Of Hiv Transmission When Getting A Tattoo Or A Body Piercing Or While Visiting The Barber Or Hairdresser
Persons who carry out body-piercing and tattoos should follow procedures called “Universal Precautions“, which are designed to protect both workers and their customers from the transmission of blood borne infections such as HIV and Hepatitis B. The guidelines state that any instrument designed to penetrate the skin such as tattoo or acupuncture needles should be either used only once and discarded , or should be thoroughly cleaned and sterilized after each use.
When visiting the barber there is no risk of infection unless the skin is cut and if there is a transfer of infected blood. If the instruments are contaminated with infected blood and are not sterilized between clients there is a risk of HIV transmission.
Stds That Can Spread Easily Through Kissing
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Herpes simplex virus 1 : This is a common virus that spreads easily in body fluids. Its easy to get from kissing. You can also get it from touching infected items like dishes, towels, or shaving razors. HSV-1 is very common. About 2 out of every 3 people in the world have HSV-1. It can cause painful blisters in your mouth , but most people with HSV-1 dont have any symptoms or even know they have it.
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Human papillomavirus : HPV is a virus that usually spreads through sexual contact but it can also spread through deep kissing. In 9 out of 10 people with HPV, the virus will go away on its own without ever causing problems. If it doesnt go away, some types of HPV can lead to mouth and throat cancer.
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Hiv Treatment & Undetectable
Todays HIV treatments, called antiretroviral therapy or ART, are extremely effective. Some treatments are a single tablet. Long-acting injectable medications are likely to be approved and available soon. Medicine has come a long way since the first HIV treatment options became available in the 1990s.
There is still no functional cure for HIV, but ART can help people live long, healthy lives. Todays medications are provided in combinations that reduce a persons viral load to levels so low its undetectable. People who become undetectable cannot transmit the virus to others.
Viral load is a term that describes how much virus a person living with HIV has in their body.
Without HIV medications, the virus replicates which causes the amount of virus in the body to increase.
HIV medications prevent HIV from making copies of itself. Then, the amount of HIV in the body goes down.
To see how well HIV treatments are working, doctors and other providers measure the amount of virus in the blood and report a measurement called your viral load. Its simply a measurement of how many copies of the virus are in a single unit of blood.
A very low amount of virus may even be undetectable by viral load tests . A common undetectable level is < 20 copies per milliliter of blood. Low viral loads are those that are less than 200 copies per milliliter. Very high viral loads can be over 500,000 copies per milliliter.
What Are The Chances Of Becoming Infected With Hiv If My Partner Doesn’t Come Inside Me
Whilst research suggests that high concentrations of HIV can sometimes be detected in pre cum, it is difficult to judge whether HIV is present in sufficient quantities for infection to occur. To guard against the possibility of infection with HIV or any other STI it is best to practice safer sex – sex with a condom from start to finish.
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Can I Get Hiv From Kissing Or Oral Sex
The risks of both are extremely low, but caution makes sense and watch the flossing.
Im sixteen and gay. I recently got into an argument with my parents over whether HIV is spread by saliva or if you can be infected during oral sex. I thought that you were safe kissing and that its okay to have oral sex, but that you need to use condoms for anal sex. My parents disagree and I found mixed answers searching online. I trust you, though what do you say?
Good Gay Boy
You trust me, GGB, but your parents probably wouldnt. And the whole point of this exchange is getting you the info/ammo you need to set your parents at ease/shoot down their arguments, right? So Im going to step aside and let some HIV prevention pros have a crack at your questions. Think of this column as a sex-ed gangbang Ive arranged just for you but, um, dont describe it to your parents that way.
To be exposed to HIV, you would have to come in contact with someone who is HIV-positive and a fluid semen, vaginal secretions, blood that can transmit HIV, says Krishna Stone, assistant director of community relations at Gay Mens Health Crisis in New York City. And there would also need to be a point of entry unprotected vaginal or anal sex without condoms, that would bring the virus into contact with mucous membranes that could absorb it.
So has anyone ever been infected via kissing?
What about oral sex? What kind of risks are there when youre blowing guys who could be positive?
If I Get Infected Fluid From An Hiv
No, HIV is not always passed on from someone living with HIV. There are lots of reasons why this is the case. For example, if the HIV-positive person is on effective treatment it will reduce the amount of HIV in their body. If a doctor confirms that the virus has reached undetectable levels it means there is no risk of passing it on.
If youre concerned that youve been exposed to HIV you may be eligible to take post-exposure prophylaxis , which stops the virus from becoming an infection. However its not available everywhere and has to be taken within 72 hours of possible exposure to be effective.
Its really important to take a HIV test every time you think you have been at risk of HIV.
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Is Deep Kissing A Route Of Hiv Transmission
Deep or open-mouthed kissing is a very low risk activity in terms of HIV transmission. HIV is only present in saliva in very minute amounts, insufficient to cause infection with HIV. There has been only one documented case of someone becoming infected with HIV through kissing a result of exposure to infected blood during open-mouthed kissing. If you or your partner have blood in your mouth, you should avoid kissing until the bleeding stops.
Can You Catch Mono Without Kissing Anyone
What if youve gotten mono and havent kissed anyone over the last few months? Since the virus stays in saliva, sharing drinks and eating utensils, or even sneezing can also spread the virus. But saliva may not be the only way mono can be passed on.
It turns out that EBV may also be present in blood and sexual fluids if you have mono. There have been rare cases where blood transfusions transmitted EBV to people who had an organ transplant. Even though EBV has been found in sexual fluids, whether having sex causes mono isnt known for sure. Until more science is known about this subject, its still a good idea to keep using condoms for protection from EBV and other sexually transmitted diseases.
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Can I Infect My Unborn Child If I Am Positive
Women with HIV can transmit the virus to their fetus. However, the use of special drugs, during pregnancy and at birth, can help reduce the transmission of HIV from mother to child.
For this reason it is important that every pregnant woman takes an HIV antibody-test. Medicines that reduce the chance of infection for the child are available for all pregnant women that are HIV infected and live on St. Maarten. It does not matter if you are insured, non-insured, legal or illegal on the island. Sometimes it is advised to repeat this test later during the pregnancy. Steps to prevent HIV transmission to the baby can be taken even if very late in the pregnancy.
For additional information you can check with your doctor or Dr. van Osch at Union Road Medical Clinic. More information on HIV and pregnancy can be found here.
Can You Get Hiv Through Oral Sex
The risk of HIV from oral sex is very small unless you or your partner have large open sores on the genital area or bleeding gums/sores in your mouth.
There is only a slightly increased risk if a woman being given oral sex is HIV-positive and is menstruating. However, you can always use a dental dam to eliminate these risks.
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How To Prevent Catching Chlamydia
Using condoms and dental dams when you have penetrative or oral sex are among the best ways to protect yourself against chlamydia. Even if you have been careful, its a good idea to get tested for STIs regularly to make sure you dont have chlamydia. Since the infection often doesnt cause symptoms, regular screening is the best way to make sure you are free of the infection and arent passing it on to others. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention encourages sexually-active people under 25 to get an STI test for chlamydia and other infections every year.
Women should also avoid vaginal douching because this practice reduces the number of good bacteria in the vagina. These bacteria are important for fighting off infections, including chlamydia.
Isnt Hiv Only A Risk For Certain Groups Of People
Like most illnesses, HIV doesnt discriminate between types of people and the infection can be passed on to anyone via one of the ways mentioned above.
Some people are more vulnerable to HIV infection if they engage regularly in certain activities that are more likely to transmit the virus. However, its a common misunderstanding that HIV only affects certain groups.
While not everyone has the same level of HIV risk, everyone can reduce their risk of infection.
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Effective Barriers Against Hiv
There are many effective barriers that prevent infection.
Skin: Skin is an excellent barrier against HIV, unless there is an open cut or open wound. Infectious fluid on skin is NOT a route for infection.
Mucous membranes in the mouth, throat and stomach: These membranes are good barriers against HIV infection, so long as there are not cuts, ulcers or sores.
Saliva: Saliva contains proteins and a low salt content that actively reduce its infectiousness. Even when HIV is detected there is too little to cause infection. HIV is not transmitted by kissing including deep kissing. Spit cannot transmit HIV.
Air: HIV is not transmitted by air.
Latex and rubber: Condoms prevent infection from HIV and many other sexually transmitted infections.
Many sexual situations have no risk of transmitting HIV.
These include masturbation , kissing and deep kissing, receiving oral sex and vaginal or anal sex using a condom correctly.
Diseases You Can Catch From Kissing
CDC, so this is important to share. If you or your partner has syphilis-related sores in your mouth, they should clear up with the help of doctor-prescribed antibiotics.
While the chances of passing infections like gonorrhea, chlamydia, and HIV through saliva arent usually worth worrying about, that changes if one of you has a cut or sore in your mouth. Experts say that any time theres an open sore and/or blood present, theoretically, an infection could be transmitted orally.
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Can You Catch Hiv From Kissing
No, you cannot catch HIV from kissing. Evidence shows that the HIV virus is spread through the exchange of bodily fluids such as blood, semen and vaginal fluids, but not saliva.
Although HIV can be detected in saliva, it cannot be passed to other people through kissing because a combination of antibodies and enzymes found naturally in saliva prevent HIV infecting new cells.
Does Hiv Viral Load Affect Getting Or Transmitting Hiv
Yes. Viral load is the amount of HIV in the blood of someone who has HIV. Taking HIV medicine daily as prescribed can make the viral load very lowso low that a test cant detect it .
People with HIV who take HIV medicine daily as prescribed and get and keep an undetectable viral load have effectively no risk of transmitting HIV to an HIV-negative partner through sex.
HIV medicine is a powerful tool for preventing sexual transmission of HIV. But it works only as long as the HIV-positive partner gets and keeps an undetectable viral load. Not everyone taking HIV medicine has an undetectable viral load. To stay undetectable, people with HIV must take HIV medicine every day as prescribed and visit their healthcare provider regularly to get a viral load test. Learn more.
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Can Herbal Medicine Cure Hiv
No. Some people choose to take alternative forms of medicine, such as herbal medicines, as a natural way of treating HIV. However, herbal remedies do not work.
Taking herbal medicines can be dangerous as they will not protect your immune system from infection. They may also interact poorly with antiretrovirals if you are taking them alongside treatment. The only way you can stay healthy when living with HIV is to take antiretroviral treatment as prescribed by your doctor or healthcare professional, and to attend viral load monitoring appointments to make sure your treatment is working.
How Do You Catch Hiv
HIV is spread in bodily fluids: blood, semen, vaginal secretions and anal mucus. The virus is most commonly passed from one person to another during unprotected anal or vaginal sex. Unprotected sex means sex without a condom. It can also be passed on by sharing sex toys or during oral sex.
Some people might be exposed to HIV by sharing needles or other injecting equipment when taking drugs. “Dirty” needles might also be an issue when getting a tattoo or an injection abroad. HIV-positive women can also pass on the virus to their baby during pregnancy, birth, or when breastfeeding. In the UK this risk is low: the transmission rate is les than 1% if HIV medication is taken and labour and delivery are managed well.
The virus can enter the body in a few different ways:
- Through the lining of the vagina, anus, or head of the penis
- Through the lining of the mouth
- Through open cuts and wounds on the skin
- Through a needle injection site
- Through the eyes
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What Are The Symptoms Of Chlamydia
Chlamydia does not cause symptoms for most people. However, people who do experience symptoms may notice a range of changes in their body. These often dont occur until weeks after youre infected. Some of the most common symptoms of chlamydia are:
- Burning sensations during urination.
- Increased risk of contracting HIV.
What Stds Can Be Spread Through Kissing
Small microorganisms can cause STDs. Some of these microorganisms can live in your saliva, or they can cause sores in your mouth. This makes it easier for them to spread between people when they kiss, especially during deep, open-mouthed kissing.
Lets break it down into what STDs you can and cant get from kissing.
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Is It Common To Get An Std From Kissing
Its hard to say. We do know that HSV-1 and HPV spread easily through kissing, but its not as clear when it comes to other types of STDs.
Why dont we know more? Well, the truth is that its hard to do research studies on kissing and STDs. This is because many people who kiss also have oral, vaginal, or anal sex with the same partner.
All the same, experts say that kissing is a low-risk activity when it comes to STDs.
If I Have Sex With A Commercial Sex Worker Will I Get Hiv
Unprotected sex places you at a high risk of contracting the virus whether it is with a commercial sex worker or anybody else. Statistics from the Caribbean and several other parts of the world have shown that there is a higher prevalence or occurrence of HIV in commercial sex workers . Therefore by having unprotected sex with a commercial sex worker the risk of contracting HIV is high.
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What Are The Chances Of Becoming Infected If He Doesnt Ejaculate Inside Me
While research suggests that high concentrations of HIV can sometimes be detected in precum, it is difficult to judge whether HIV is present in sufficient quantities for infection to occur. To guard against the possibility of infection with HIV or any other STI it is best to practice safer sex by using condoms.