Although HIV is no longer a fatal disease and can be successfully controlled with medication, most people with the disease face tremendous internal resistance. Society still views the presence of immunodeficiency syndrome as shameful, a sign of the sufferer’s moral decay and depraved lifestyle. Friends and family members shun those with the disease, and they are subject to discrimination and harassment. For example, in the Nizhny Novgorod region, the Novinki sports complex refused to accommodate children with the disease.
The pain of recognizing the problem can be so great that some HIV-positive people intentionally infect their sexual partners to avoid being alone with their condition. In 2018, a court sentenced a young British man to prison for having unprotected sex with men, even though he knew he was HIV-positive. He then sent taunting text messages to his victims.
After all, a happy life and harmonious sexual relationships are possible for both HIV-positive and their negative partners.Safe sex with someone infected with HIV
Condoms are considered the most reliable method of preventing immunodeficiency syndrome, but criticism of this method can be found online. This is because latex is porous, and a pore size can reach 5 microns, while the virus is 0.1 microns. It would seem that nothing would prevent the virus from penetrating this barrier, but a condom consists of several such porous layers. These overlap, making the material impenetrable. Particularly meticulous people can test a condom for permeability—for example, by inflating it, twisting it like a balloon, and ensuring that it doesn’t deflate, as an air molecule is much smaller than any virus. Condoms provide the greatest safety during sex with someone infected with HIV.
Modern treatment regimens for HIV-positive individuals also reliably protect their HIV-negative partners from infection. The medications reduce the viral load so low that it is undetectable by specialized systems—in other words, such patients will test negative for HIV. They can even have sex without a condom without risking infection, but only their treating physician can grant permission for this; the patient has no right to make such decisions independently.
Condom use with a partner whose HIV status is unknown should be mandatory. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a one-night stand or a stable relationship; sometimes people are unaware of their infection. Condom use is especially important during anal sex, as the risk of infection for the recipient is very high—2%. For comparison, the risk of infection for a woman during oral sex is 0.04%, and 0.08% during vaginal sex.Psychological barriers
People who have just learned of their status can veer from one extreme to the other: either, as already noted, they deliberately neglect safety rules and put their partner at risk, or, conversely, they embrace celibacy and abstain from all sexual contact. The latter is often accompanied by self-flagellation—they blame themselves for having a “bad” disease and perceive their forced abstinence as a just punishment for their sins.
In large cities, AIDS centers often offer psychological help, where people in mental crisis can receive qualified advice.
Support groups for like-minded people on social media are very effective, as people infected with the virus share their experiences. By their example, they demonstrate that a harmonious sex and family life is possible with HIV. They can offer encouragement and advice.
Honesty with your partner is always crucial in sexual relationships, and if someone has been infected with HIV, this is more important than ever. Even if the infected person uses a condom and is taking treatment, it’s important to inform your partner about the infection—they must decide for themselves whether they are comfortable with such contact. Furthermore, this approach will help you weed out potential strangers and keep your closest friends and family within your inner circle.HIV dissidents
Avoid sexual contact with people who adhere to HIV dissent. This is a conspiracy theory that claims the immunodeficiency virus doesn’t exist and that treatment is designed to cripple health, thereby reducing the global population. They attribute the symptoms of HIV infection to other diseases.
Surprisingly, there are quite a few adherents to this obscurantist theory, and they pose a serious danger to society because they urge those infected to distrust doctors, avoid AIDS centers, and seek out “real illnesses” in themselves. If someone expresses such thoughts when first meeting them, it’s not a good idea to sleep with them.
Sex with someone infected with HIV can be completely safe, as harmonious and emotionally fulfilling as with someone healthy. For both partners, awareness remains paramount – by understanding the real risks and transmission routes, the possibility of infection can be reduced to zero.
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