Oral Sex (South Africa)

[whiteswells]

Hi
I live in South Africa,and recently had an incident,To be honest I went to a sex worker,She sucked the head of my penis for about 10 seconds UN protected,before she put the condom on,she then carried on giving oral sex,until completion,with condom.When i got home,panic attack,what have i done,as i remembered she sucked my penis unprotected first.And did not have very good oral health.I contacted numerous HIV Specialists here and was told by all of them,besides one,that this was a risk,and that i need to have a PCR Test in 14 days,and then the normal Elisa tests at 6 weeks.If saliva does not transmit HIV,How can receiving oral sex be a risk,The internet is full of reports that this is a low risk exposure,some saying no risk.But here in South Africa i am being told RISKY,and that i might contract HIV from this incident,Now imagine how i feel about this,One doctor even mentioned to me that,anybody on the Internet that says it is no risk,ARE VERY UNINFORMED.
Can someone here please tell me the facts,as doctors are starting to scare me to bits.And I am running out of time,If i need to take PEP

Please be honest with me.

Regards from South Africa

[Andy Velez]

You have been scared totally unnecessarily by anyone who has told you that receiving oral is a risk for HIV. Receiving oral is one of the most common of sexual activities. In the entire history of the epidemic and allowing for whatever different details maybe involved, there has never been a single confirmed case of transmission to a guy in that manner. Not one.

It's safe to say you are not going to make history by becoming the first. Other stds are much easier to acquire than HIV so we do advise anyone who is sexually active ought to at least once a year have a full STD panel done.

But as far as HIV is concerned I don't see any cause for concern nor any need for HIV testing.

Get on with your life. Really.

[whiteswells]

Thanks Andy
I was actually told that i could be the first,As he is very educated in HIV,as she could have had blood in her saliva,and this could have gone into my urethra,or small abrasion on my skin,before she put the condom on,I could have slapped him a few times,He even offered me PEP,But i was still in shock and just walked out,He has already scheduled me for a PCR in 14 days

[Andy Velez]

Well you can keep that appointment ...or not.

I'll just repeat that without any doubts you were not at risk. You decide what you want to do.

It's very unfortunate that such incorrect "information" as you have received is still being handed out at this late date in the epidemic.

[whiteswells]

Thanks for the reply.

Just a concern,why would you say no risk,if on the HIV Basics page there is the following.

HEADS UP
HIV is most commonly transmitted in the following three ways:

1. Unprotected sex via anal, vaginal or oral penetration without a condom.

I know we should all stay away from the internet,but its the above that then makes one wonder if we are all mistaken in what we think,is risk or not.

I am just a normal person that has made one big error in judgment,and i need to deal with it,but what is really the truth.

[Ann]

Whites,

Yeah, it's a real pain in the ass that there is so much misinformation about hiv transmission out there. It drives us crazy - and rest assured that I know I can speak for all of the persons who are authorised to answer questions in this forum.

Sexually speaking, the only bona-fide, proven risks for hiv transmission are unprotected anal and vaginal intercourse. There have been three long-term studies of couples where one is positive and one is negative. In the couples who used condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse, but no barrier for oral activities, not one of the negative partners became infected with hiv. Not one.

We know for certain that getting a blowjob (having your dick sucked) is absolutely not a risk. Not only is saliva not infectious, but it also contains over a dozen different proteins and enzymes that damage hiv and render it unable to infect.

Forget about the blood in the mouth scenario. Unless you're in the habit of repeatedly punching a person in the mouth before they blow you, there could not possibly be enough blood present to cause concern.

Going down on a woman (giving a woman oral) is also not a risk for hiv infection.

The only oral that is remotely a risk is giving a blowjob (sucking a dick). This is rare and only a problem if the sucker has terrible oral health and the person being sucked has a very high viral load. It's more theoretical than actual. Unfortunately, many websites take this remote and theoretical risk and apply it across the board and say "oral is a risk" without explaining exactly what is meant by that, or mentioning how rare it is.

Do not get the PCR test done. For a start, you didn't have a risk. Also, PCR testing is not approved for diagnosing hiv, as they have a high rate of false positives, particularly DNA PCR testing. Don't waste your time and money on PCR testing. You absolutely do not need it.

Here's what you need to know in order to avoid hiv infection:

You need to be using condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse, every time, no exceptions until such time as you are in a securely monogamous relationship where you have both tested for ALL sexually transmitted infections together.

To agree to have unprotected intercourse is to consent to the possibility of being infected with an STI. Sex without a condom lasts only a matter of minutes, but hiv is forever.

Have a look through the condom and lube links in my signature line so you can use condoms with confidence.

ALTHOUGH YOU DO NOT NEED TO TEST SPECIFICALLY OVER A NO RISK BLOWJOB, anyone who is sexually active should be having a full sexual health care check-up, including but not limited to hiv testing, at least once a year and more often if unprotected intercourse occurs.

If you aren't already having regular, routine check-ups, now is the time to start. As long as you make sure condoms are being used for intercourse, you can fully expect your routine hiv tests to return with negative results.

Don't forget to always get checked for all the other sexually transmitted infections as well, because they are MUCH easier to transmit than hiv.

Use condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse, correctly and consistently, and you will avoid hiv infection. It really is that simple!

Ann