Hiv

I'm glad you reached out because I can tell from your writing that you're dealing with a lot of anxiety and worry. Also, it gives me a chance to clear up misinformation about HIV transmission that is out there that can feed into this worry, and may be helpful to others. As you see, there is a lot of worrying information online about HIV, and some of it does not factor in current treatments or the realities of how it is transmitted.

We're not medical professionals so cannot assess your risk, but we can give you some information and point you toward some reliable articles that may help.

First, it sounds like you are not sure if this person is living with HIV, and even if they are, if someone is taking medication and has an undetectable viral load they cannot transmit the virus to others (more on that here: https://h-i-v.net/living/undetectable-untransmittable). If they are living with HIV and it is transmittable, condoms are thought to be 80% preventative in heterosexual sex, 63 percent and 72 percent for men who have insertive anal sex with other men and men who have receptive anal sex with other men, respectively (more on that here: https://h-i-v.net/risk-reduction). All that being said, getting tested for HIV is seen as a regular part of healthcare by the CDC, so if you're looking for testing information we have a lot of it on our site!

In terms of your cold and flu symptoms, how are you feeling today? I hope you are feeling better soon! Is there any more information I can provide to you? - Liz (Team Member)

Hi . On top of the excellent information from Liz, I want to share with you this article on differences in HIV transmission risk: https://h-i-v.net/transmission-risks. In the second chart you will note that the estimated HIV risk from Insertive penile-vaginal intercourse is 0.04 percent. The reduction percent noted in the article Liz shared is the increased reduction in risk through the use of a condom. As noted by Liz and the article I shared, a number of factors can change risk and we cannot offer a risk assessment - just wanted to offer further information and context. The best way to ease one's mind concerning any potential risk is still to get tested. Hoping your cold symptoms subside and you are feeling better soon. Best, Richard (Team Member)