HIV Facts, Helplines & Health Advisers In The UK

For those of you undergoing the HIV Scare Crisis in the UK, I am posting the telephone numbers of the local helplines.

A telephone conversation with someone knoledgeable about the disease (such as the helpline operators) may come in very useful. It will help you assess your risk realistically.

http://www.avert.org/ukhelplines.htm

Quite a few of these are 24 hours.

You may also choose to speak to a health adviser. Most of these people have extensive experience in treating HIV+ people, so they can tell you a lot.

West London Centre for Sexual Health:
http://www.hivgum.demon.co.uk/charing/chadvisers.html

The Victoria Clinic for Sexual Health:
http://www.hivgum.demon.co.uk/victoria/victoria.html

These are not 24 hours. So call in 'reasonable' hours, GMT.

Here are some facts about the disease that should help relieve your anxiety a bit, although they are generally a short term remedy. People begin to panic and get caught up in a vicious circle of calling all available helplines asking exactly the same questions and getting but slightly different answers.

Remember: even unprotected vaginal sex with an HIV+ woman carries the risk of 0.3%. Presumably it means that in 99.7% of the cases transmission does not occur.

Many factors come into play, but this is generally the case. The risk of getting infected via oral sex is 4 in 10000, which is 0.04%. In 99.96% of all incidents of oral sex with an HIV+ person, transmission does not occur.

Oral sex is a dubious subject. All scientists agree that, although in some cases there is a risk, it's a very low risk. In some cases it has been traced as the most likely way of transmission.

There are only 2 CDC documented instances of transmission by cunnilingus. In each case the activities involved were violent and traumatic. (Most likely there was direct blood-to-blood contact.)

Most cases of HIV infection by oral sex are associated with gay men indulging in unprotected fellatio. Many gay men don't enjoy anal sex. In many cases fellatio is the most frequently practised activity. When the HIV+ sperm sticks to the tonsils, infection may occur.

If you don't let your partner cum in your mouth, the risk is reduced. It is still theoretically possible to get HIV from precum, but the probability is truly negligible.

Here (in the UK) health professionals do not consider fingering a risk. Nor can you get HIV by French-kissing someone, unless you like kissing a la Hannibal Lector.

This said, if you are in a relationship with an HIV+ person you should practice safe sex ALL THE TIME, because by having unsafe sex with an HIV+ person for a year, you put yourself in grave danger of being infected.

Sometimes (very rarely), even one single exposure is enough.

PROFESSIONAL sex workers are generally NOT considered a risk group. In Europe, there is a lower incidence of HIV/AIDS cases among this category, than among the general female population! Nowadays most of them are very keen on protection. Most of them will never kiss you, nor will they perform an unprotected fellatio.

IV drug users are constantly under thread. Many sex workers are also IV -- beware of the ones with needle marks! (I've seen some -- difficult to miss.)

Unprotected anal sex is the 'greatest' way of transmitting the virus sexually. The probability of transmission in this case is of the order of 10% - a very significant number.

I hope this helps. Take care!

Post Extras: Remind Me!