I heard that the chances of getting Hiv from one time of unprotected sex is low?

Question

is this true

Answer 1

Is There Evidence AIDS is Sexually Transmitted?

According to Dr. David Rasnick, the facts don't support the hypothesis. Check out his letter from the British Medical Journal online:

Sex Has Nothing to Do With AIDS

David Rasnick, Visiting Scientist, UC Berkeley
[e-mail]
January 20, 2003

I challenge [doctors] to come up with the names, even one will do, of the persons documented to have shown that AIDS or HIV is sexually transmitted. I know of no such study.

In fact, the scientific, medical literature is full of evidence that neither AIDS nor HIV is sexually transmitted. It is only assumed that they are.

The results of the world's best scientific study that attempted to measure the efficiency of heterosexual transmission of antibodies to HIV was conducted by Nancy Padian and her colleagues (Padian NS, et al. 1997: Heterosexual transmission of human immunodeficiency virus in northern California: results from a ten-year study. Am J Epidemiol 146: 350-7).

The most striking result of the ten-year study is that Padian et al. did not observe any HIV-negative sex partners becoming
HIV-positive from years of unprotected sexual intercourse with their HIV-positive partners. I repeat?NOT ONE HIV-negative sex partner became positive during the 10- year study. Therefore, the observed transmission efficiency was ZERO.

However, to avoid reporting a zero efficiency for the sexual transmission of HIV, Padian and colleagues assumed that the
HIV-positive sex partners in their study must have become positive through sexual intercourse before entering the study. Using that assumption, they estimated that an HIV-negative woman would have to have sexual intercourse 1,000
times with HIV-positive men before becoming HIV-positive herself. Even more astounding, HIV-negative men would have to have 8000 sexual contacts before becoming HIV-positive.

Virtually identical figures have been reported by others (Gisselquist, D., et al., HIV infections in sub- Saharan Africa not explained by sexual or vertical transmission. Int J STD AIDS, 2002. 13: p. 657-666; Jacquez, J.A., et al., Role of the primary infection in epidemics of HIV infection in gay cohorts. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr, 1994. 7: p.1169-1184).

Given these figures and that the US Centers for Disease Control estimates that one million Americans have antibodies to HIV raises an enormous problem for sexually transmitted HIV. Since there are around 280 million men and women in the USA, that means that on average an HIV-negative woman would have to have random sexual intercourse 140,000 times?and a man eight times that number?in order to become HIV-positive (assuming equal distribution of HIV between the sexes).

Below are additional examples in the literature that neither AIDS nor HIV is sexually transmitted.

- None of the husbands of HIV positive women became antibody positive to HIV over a three-year period. (Lancet ii: 581 (1985), Stewart et al.}

- No transmission of HIV was observed between couples in which all of the women were HIV positive and in which at least 100 sexual contacts occurred. (JAMA 259: 3037 (1988), Padian et al.)

- After a mean of 3-1/2 years of unprotected intercourse, with an average of 50 sexual encounters per year, only one hemophiliac wife became HIV positive. (American Journal of Medicine 85: 472 (1988), Kim et al.)

- No transmission of T-cell abnormalities from hemophiliacs with AIDS to their spouses. (JAMA 251: 1450 (1984), Kreiss et al.)

- "The number of American and European heterosexuals who have had sexual relations with a prostitute, who have no other
admitted risk factors (such as drug abuse), and who have subsequently developed antibody to HIV can be
counted on the fingers of one hand. Sex with a prostitute is not even listed as a risk category by the American CDC." (Rethinking AIDS, Root-Bernstein, 1993)

- "Non-drug abusing prostitutes have no higher risk of AIDS than other women." (AIDS: the second decade, report from the
National Academy of Sciences USA, 1990)

The same is true for prostitutes in Germany, Zurich, Vienna, London, Paris, Pardenone (Italy), and Athens. (Klinische
Wochenschrift 65: 287 (1987), Luthy et al.; Wiener Klinische Wochenschrift 98: 697 (1986), Kopp & Dangl-Erlach; Lancet ii: 1424 (1985), Brenky-Fandeux & Fribourg-Blanc; British Medical Journal 297: 1585 (1988), Day et al.; Scand J Infect Dis 21: 353 (1988), Hyams et al.)

Answer 2

Yes, it is lower than many people think, but it is not zero.

Anal sex and vaginal sex carry higher risks than oral sex, and the risk increases significantly if other STIs such as gonorrhea or active HSV are present. Some viral subtypes appear to be more readily transmitted than others, and a high viral load in the infected partner also makes sexual transmission more likely.

There have been people unlucky enough to contract HIV from a single contact, but obviously the more contacts, the higher the chances of infection.

Despite the relatively low chances of infection from a single given contact, sexual transmission remains the most common mode of contracting HIV in the world.

Answer 3

Sure, statistically you're not far wrong BUT...

Remember that when dealing with the aforementioned statistics, "someone" has to contract it through unprotected sex.
Now ask yourself a question Punk...
Do you feel lucky...?

I contracted Herpes through a one time, thought I'd be OK, heat of the moment, encounter.
It's uncomfortable and painful; sometimes physically AND mentally and I'll have to accept the consequences for the rest of my life. But not one single painful outbreak occurs, without me thanking my lucky stars that I didn't contract HIV.

Please give this some serious thought...

PS. Isn't it time that condoms were free...or at least globally
subsidised..?
Their prices aren't exactly conducive to
promoting high sales ergo safer sex ...

Answer 4

Absolutely not true!!!!!!!

It may statistically have been true a long time ago but infection spreads like a triangle exponentially - 1 spreads to 2 then to 4 then to 8, then to 16 and so on. There are so many people with HIV or aids that the risk is now very high!

HIV can be transmitted in all bodily fluids it has even been traced in tears although it is fairly rare.

The main transmission is through sex and blood. The pathogen is so small it it takes is a slight trace. So it is not safe at all to have unprotected sex. There are also an awful lot of sexually transmitted diseases and left untreated can kill you or pass on defects to your progeny.

Answer 5

Although your chances are less than say having been exposed three times it is still NOT safe at all. I only takes a bit of blood/semen/infected fluid to enter your blood stream and you can contract it.

Answer 6

Even if it is low it sure would suck to get a disease we don't have cure for just because you didn't want to wear a condom.

Answer 7

How ever low it maybe,it is still POSSIBLE and that is all that matters

Answer 8

yeah, worth the risk??????