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AIDS/Hiv risk with oral sex

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Expert: - 12/6/2009


Question
QUESTION: Hi, i made  sex with a guy that i don't know. I give him oral sex without condom.But i didn't let him to cum on my mouth.As , i know i don't have bleeds or cut in my mouth. How is it risky to be infected HIV? I also made anal sex but with condoms? Is it risky too?

ANSWER: Dear Berkay,
Thanks for asking. Although it is possible to become infected with HIV through oral sex, the risk of becoming infected in this way is much lower than the risk of infection via unprotected sexual intercourse (AVERT, 2009). Regarding anal sex with condom: if enough lubrication was used and you didn't face condom break, there is nothing to worry about.
Regards,
Gorkey

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you so much for your reply, i was about to think that i got infected.Do you think should i make an hiv test?if yes, when?

Answer
Dear Berkay,

I'm here to serve you. You are most welcome.

Although the chance of being infected with HIV is lower compared to unprotected sexual intercourse, there runs a risk. Since we don't know the guy's HIV status (you mentioned, "a guy that i don't know"), it's better being tested to know your status.

According to scientific evidences, "Most people develop detectable HIV antibodies within 6 to 12 weeks of infection. In very rare cases, it can take up to 6 months. It is exceedingly unlikely that someone would take longer than 6 months to develop antibodies." Therefore, many experts suggest to get tested 6 weeks after exposure, and later after six months again. The later will provide conclusive result.

You can go for ELISA, and later a Western blot assay or a line immunoassay or a second ELISA. When two results are combined, the chance for getting an inaccurate result is less than 0.1%, as described by different organizations/experts (BHIVA/BASHH/British Infection Society, 2008; FDA, 2009, 2008). For this, please consult your doctor to have more information and further guidelines regarding about getting tested.

Take care of yourself. Thanks for asking and best regards.

Gorkey

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Gorkey Gourab

Expertise

Social and behavioral issues related to HIV transmission, sexually transmitted infections, Human Rights issues, rights of marginalized populations, gender and sexuality, research design and analysis related social & behavioral issues, , computer assisted qualitative data analysis and data management (using ATLAS.ti, ANTHROPAC, NVivo 8)

Experience

Specialized in Medical Anthropology. Working on Social and behavioral studies related to HIV transmission as well as Human Rights issues. Specialization in gender, sexuality, masculinity, behavioral studies related to HIV transmission. Qualitative research, programmatic and M&E experience with MSM, hijra (TG), indigenous groups, female sex workers for more than 7 years.

Organizations
International Center for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) as Manager - M&E (Qualitative) with Center for HIV and AIDS

Publications
International peer-reviewed journals & technical papers: (1) Khan, S. I., Hussain, M. I., Parveen, S., Bhuiyan, M. I., Gourab, G., & Bhuiya, A. (2009). Living on the extreme margin: Social exclusion of the hijra in Bangladesh. Journal of health, population and nutrition. (2) Khan, S. I., Hussain, M. I., Gourab, G., Parveen, S., Bhuiyan, M. I., & Sikder, J. (2008). Not to stigmatize but to humanize sexual lives of the transgender (hijra): condom chat in the AIDS era. Journal of LGBT Health Research (Special issue: issues on male sexual behaviors and HIV risk in South Asia). Working papers: (1) Khan, S. I., Gourab, G., Ahmed, T., Sarker, G. F., Chowdhury, F. K., Ghosh, S., et al. (2009). Understanding the operational dynamics and possible HIV interventions for residence-based female sex workers in two divisional cities in Bangladesh. Dhaka, Bangladesh: NASP, Save the Children USA and icddr,b. Presentations in scientific meetings and conferences: (1) Khan, S. I., Hussain, M. I., Gourab, G. & Azim, T. (2011, 16 March 2011). Use of a new approach to count and access diverse groups of hijra for scaling up HIV-preventions services in Bangladesh. Poster presented at the 13th Annual Scientific Conference (ASCON XIII), Dhaka. (2) Khan, S. I., Pasa, K., Gourab, G., & Islam, A. (2007). Indigenous populations of Bangladesh: Living with risks and vulnerabilities to STIs/HIV. 8th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP). Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Education/Credentials
MSS (Anthropology), University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh

Awards and Honors
The Vanderbilt-UAB Fogarty International Center AIDS International Training and Research Program (AITRP)Scholarship for the training on HIV-AIDS related qualitative data analysis and manuscript writing (Center for Global Health, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA)

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