| Ask GMHC
Should my lover and I be worried about re-infection?
Question
My lover and I are both poz and in great shape. I've been on meds
for a few years and we've both been undetectable for a while now.
We've been together for 3 years and we started off using condoms
regularly. But lately we've been having more bareback sex with each
other (with occasional other partners we still use condoms for fucking).
We've talked to some of our friends who are also poz, and some think
we should be worried about re-infection, but others say that this
doesn't happen.
I love my boyfriend, and not using condoms feels so much better with him.
But I don't want to risk a health problem for either one of us. What can you
tell us about how concerned we should be? I'd really appreciate any advice
you could give us.
Answer
The question you ask is one that a lot of people who are HIV-positive
are thinking about: the issue of re-infection. Two of the main issues
surrounding re-infection are: 1) does re-infection happen, and 2)
how does it affect someone who's positive. To answer these questions,
let's break down some definitions.
Re-infection has been defined as a secondary case
of infection by a virus that has already infected a person. Super-infection
is a term that's been used to describe a case of re-infection with
a second strain of HIV that's resistant to treatment.
The jury is still out about whether a person with HIV can be re-infected
or super-infected. A site called The
Body has a page
with a lot of really useful information on the subject, including
the handful of cases that have been documented. Even these cases
are not completely clear, however, and Poz
magazine has an article that looks at how one case was called
into question.
Although we still don't have definitive answers, a possible repercussion
of having unprotected sex with your positive partner is becoming
infected with his strain of HIV, or vice versa. If that were to
happen, it could potentially affect his or your treatment regimen
and potentially be detrimental to your health. When deciding whether
or not to use condoms with your partner, you should consider the
information available on re-infection/super-infection as well as
your thoughts and feelings about sex and what you are both comfortable
with.
If you feel like talking about this with someone, and if you're in New York, we have drop-in safer sex counseling on Mondays and Wednesdays from 5 pm to 8 pm at 119 West 24th Street on the 8th floor. And feel free to call our Hotline for help finding resources in your area or if you want to talk more
about anything in this email. You can reach us at 800-243-7692.
Take care,
The GMHC Hotline
Questions or concerns? Email us at hotline@gmhc.org.
For more information, visit our Hotline.
© 2008 Gay Men's Health Crisis |
home
