Dear Doc, I came to know my partner about 3 months ago. We had unprotected sex since he can't get errected wearing a condom. Recently, I was diagonised +ve but he is not. I only have unprotected sex with him. My CD4 is 261 and viral load is 23600/ml. Will he get the virus from me? Can you tell how long I had been positive?

Hi,

Unprotected sex is definitely putting your partner at considerable risk for acquiring HIV. In fact it's like playing sexual Russian roulette. If your buddy has difficulty using condoms due to erectile dysfunction, he could try a cock ring that restricts blood flow at the base of the penis. Alternatively he could try Viagra or Cialis. He will need HIV-antibody tests at both three and six months from the date of his last potential exposure.

As for how long you've been HIV infected, it's somewhat difficult to know with certainty based solely on a single test result. However, if your CD4 counts are in the mid-200 range, chances are you've been HIV positive for a number of years, perhaps 5 to 10. I would suggest you read through the information in the "Just Diagnosed" chapter that can be easily accessed on The Body's homepage.

Good luck!

Dr. Bob