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Ask the Experts about Hepatitis and HIV Coinfection
I noticed in one of your responses to the question of Hep C transmission that you responded that sexual transmission is not common.
I live in London and research amongst HIV Positive men refute that and suggets that it is more common between MSM than was once thought. Why are you not familiar with this research and publisising it to warn HIV positive men who have unprotected sex of the risks?
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Response from Dr. McGovern
Thank you for your comments. I am sorry you are misinformed. My comments are tailored to the questioner.
In my comments to the reader - where the question is regarding sex between a man and a woman - I give the appropriate advice that hepatitis C is uncommonly transmitted through sex. This risk is about 1 to 2 percent.
In comments to men who have sex with men, I have given other appropriate advice, where I warn of the risk of HCV transmission and reports of HCV transmission from the US and Europe. I have also published a paper devoted to HIV infected patients, which was published in the Journal of AIDS (2007 supplement 2 Volume 45: S47: An excerpt follows:
"Studies point to an increased risk of HCV transmission among HIV-infected men who have sex with men and have no identifiable risk factor except unsafe sex. Among MSM, hepatitis C acquisition is associated with unprotected anal sex, fisting, and a concomitant sexually transmitted disease (eg, syphilis, lymphogranuloma venereum, and herpes simplex). Concomitant HIV infection may raise the risk of transmitting HCV sexually. Among MSM with detectable HCV viremia, those coinfected with HIV were more likely to have detectable HCV RNA in their semen than those with HCV monoinfection.
An association between HCV acquisition and unsafe sex and genital ulcerative disease has also been described in heterosexuals who denied classic risk factors for HCV infection."
You can read my paper to get the references as well.
Good luck with your research and maybe next time you will sign your name as well.
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