HIV fear

[debu]

Jim,I had some exposures in my life. #1 october 29,2014 I had protected vaginal sex with a female csw.I also french kissed her.Later found the girl HIV +.After 5 weeks I experienced severe flue type illness.Swollen lymph nodes under jaw and neck,loose stool,hedeach,severe muscle and joint pain,rash on both arm. I have tested after 3 months with 3rd generation rapid test,after 5 months with 3rd generation elisa, after 6.5 months with 3rd generation rapid test.All are negative. 2# July 16 2017 I had protected oral and protected vaginal sex with a female csw.Dont know why? Vaginal part only lasted 10-15 seconds.The girl seemed a consistent condom user.No real symptom between 1-4 weeks. Episode 3 # October 17 2017 I had protected vaginal sex with a csw.She offered me to have sex without a condom for extra charge but I didn't agree  .But she assured me she gets tested every month. Now you are thinking whats the real problem.Actually Im experiencing the symptom of overt aids.Lose of appetite,Loosing weight,fatigue, dizziness ,swollen lymph nodes,loose stool,nail fungus,clubbing nail are making my life hell.I have been loosing weight before my 2nd exposure.Now I'm experiencing severe  cognitive issues.Jim,I'm from a developing country where HIV stigma is very deep.I feel like a jombi.Any help will be really appreciated.

[Jim Allen]

Hiya,

Receiving a blowjob & kissing is no HIV risk to you whatsoever.

As for the intercourse, HIV can't transmit through an intact latex or polyurethane condom. If a condom fails during the act of intercourse it's obvious. There is no reason to be stressing or testing outside of standard routine as long as this obvious issue did not happen.

If these three encounters over the 6 years have been the only times you have had any sex then sexually aquired hiv isn't a concern.

Sorry to hear you have been feeling unwell but its not hiv specific or hiv related from these encounters. Work with your doctor to treat whatever is making you feel unwell and remember to test at least yearly if possible for STI's

Here's what you need to know to avoid HIV infection:
Use condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse, correctly and consistently, every time, no exceptions. Consider talking to your healthcare provider about PrEP as an additional layer of HIV protection going forward

Keep in mind that some sexual practices which may be described as ‘safe’ in terms of HIV transmission might still pose a risk for transmission of other STI's, so please do get fully tested regularly and at least yearly for all STI's including but not limited to HIV and test more frequently if unprotected intercourse occurs

Also, note that it is possible to have an STI and show no signs or symptoms and the only way of knowing is by testing.

Kind regards

Jim

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[debu]

Jim symptoms are highly identical to the last stage of the disease. I know I had protected sex but these weird  symptoms are making my life hell.Have you encountered any case of HIV despite of condom use ?

[Jim Allen]

Hiya,

I've already answered this and, I've provided a risk assessment based on what you posted.

The first incident-specific testing was not needed, you did so anyways and conclusively tested negative. The symptoms had nothing to do with HIV.  The 2nd and 3rd incidents, getting a blowjob is no HIV risk and you used condoms for the intercourse.

If these three encounters over the 6 years have been the only times you have had any sex then sexually acquired HIV isn't a concern. Sorry to hear you have been feeling unwell but it's not HIV specific or HIV related from these encounters. Work with your doctor to treat whatever is making you feel unwell and remember to test at least yearly if possible for STI's

[debu]

Jim I am scared for my cognitive issues.I read cognitive problems are the symptoms of the late stage of the disease.I read some horrific stories in reddit and poz.com people got hiv from protected intercourse.What should I know.Do you think all of my symptoms are psychological ?

[Jim Allen]

Hiya.

We have been over this, if these three encounters over the 6 years have been the only times you have had any sex then sexually acquired HIV isn't a concern.

Work with your doctor to treat whatever is making you feel unwell and remember to test at least yearly if possible for STI's out of standard routine.

Stop reading stories and mistaking them as fact or thinking it somehow relates to you because it doesn't. It's nice some people tell stories but it's just that. Now if you keep thinking stories online are facts then sooner or later you will be asking about ET or the next-door neighbour cat, and nonsense of that nature.

Feel free though to read the below insights on stories.


2018
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2018.08.001

STI Risk Perception in the British Population and How It Relates to Sexual Behaviour and STI Healthcare Use: Findings From a Cross-sectional Survey (Natsal-3)

We have identified falsely optimistic views of personal STI risk among a substantial proportion of those at risk of STIs in the British population, which could have a negative impact on efforts to promote safe sex and STI testing, and the control of STIs.

Among those classed as having ‘unsafe sex’ in the past year (comprising approximately 1 in 5 sexually-active 16–44-year-olds), 39.2% of men and 51.0% of women rated themselves as not at all at risk of STIs

2018
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0032885517753163

Underreporting in HIV-Related High-Risk Behaviors: Comparing the Results of Multiple Data Collection Methods in a Behavioral Survey of Prisoners in Iran

Participants reported more sexual contact in prison for their friends than they did for themselves. In men, NSU provided lower estimates than direct questioning, whereas in women NSU estimates were higher. Different data collection methods provide different estimates and collectively offer a more comprehensive picture of HIV-related risk behaviors in prisons.

2018
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5268760/

Socially desirability response bias and other factors that may influence self-reports of substance use and HIV risk behaviors: A qualitative study of drug users in Vietnam

The accuracy of self-report data may be marred by a range of cognitive and motivational biases, including social desirability response bias

2018
http://emj.bmj.com/content/35/1/46
Self-perceived risk of STIs in a population-based study of Scandinavian women

Subjective perception of risk for STI was associated with women’s current risk-taking behaviours, indicating women generally are able to assess their risks for STIs. However, a considerable proportion of women with multiple new partners in the last 6 months and no condom use still considered themselves at no/low risk for STI.

2018
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09540121.2017.1384787

Social desirability bias and underreporting of HIV risk behaviors are significant challenges to the accurate evaluation of HIV prevention programs for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in sub-Saharan Africa

2018
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanhiv/article/PIIS2352-3018(18)30062-6/fulltext

Non-disclosed men who have sex with men in UK HIV transmission networks: phylogenetic analysis of surveillance data

Jim: In short they analysed the genetic code of the virus from HIV-positive people and came to the conclusion that some of the self-reported heterosexual mens HIV was more than likely actually non-disclosed MSM.

2017
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28509997

Social Desirability Bias and Prevalence of Sexual HIV Risk Behaviors Among People Who Use Drugs in Baltimore, Maryland: Implications for Identifying Individuals Prone to Underreporting Sexual Risk Behaviors.

2017 --In regards to STI's
https://journals.lww.com/stdjournal/toc/2017/07000
Sexually Transmitted Diseases: July 2017 - Volume 44 - Issue 7 - p 390–392

Is Patient-Reported Exposure a Reliable Indicator for Anogenital Gonorrhea and Chlamydia Screening in Young Black Men Who Have Sex With Men?

Among 485 young black men who have sex with men recruited in Jackson, MS, 90-day anal sexual exposure significantly predicted rectal infection, but 19.4% of rectal infections would have been missed among men denying receptive anal sex. Reports of consistent condom use were associated with lower infection rates only in men reporting insertive anal sex.

2016
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010782416305418
Could misreporting of condom use explain the observed association between injectable hormonal contraceptives and HIV acquisition risk?
: 9 out of every 20 sex acts reported with condoms are actually unprotected

2013

Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, and the Kensington Research Institute, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14655794

"At risk" women who think that they have no chance of getting HIV: self-assessed perceived risks.

more than one-half of the "no perceived risk of HIV" sample had engaged in at least one risky practice during the preceding year and more than one-quarter had engaged in at least two such behaviors


2009
The Validity of Teens’ and Young Adults’ Self-reported Condom Use
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/articlepdf/380711/poa80067_61_64.pdf

A significant degree of discordance between self-reports of consistent condom use and YcPCR positivity was observed. Several rival explanations for the observed discordance exist, including (1) teens and young adults inaccurately reported condom use; (2) teens and young adults used condoms consistently but
used them incorrectly, resulting in user error; and (3) teens and young adults responded with socially desirable answers

BMC Public Health 2007
https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2458-7-60

Analyses of data from the Demographic and Health Surveys, Sexual Behaviour Surveys and from other countries show a similar pattern indicating under-reporting
It is probable that as HIV campaigns encouraging delayed sexual debut and abstinence before marriage reach the population, people will report behaviour
assumed to be more socially desirable.

there are some signs of differential reporting bias in our study. We found that controlling for less risky sexual behaviour substantially reduced the association between HIV and survey time among urban men, but less so among women; this may suggest that self-reports from men about sexual behaviour are more reliable. Studies suggest that respondents, especially women, tend to under-report the number of lifetime sexual partners . Therefore, analyses of associations with, and changes in, self-reported sexual behaviour should be interpreted with caution.

2010
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2957626/

Self-presentation bias (wishing to be viewed in a positive light) may result in patients underreporting behaviors they perceive to be stigmatizing

Approximately a third of the men in the sample reported that they did not disclose all of their risk behaviors to the HIV counselor during the face-to-face risk assessment. These results echo similar studies of risk disclosure to medical providers