Understand your risks of getting HIV
Somebody’s chance of getting HIV depends on a variety of factors: use of prevention methods, viral load of HIV-positive partners, and sexual behaviour. The higher the count of HIV in somebody’s bloodstream, the higher the likelihood of HIV transmission. The presence of other STIs can also increase one’s risk for HIV transmission 2 to 3 times.
For people who use drugs, the risk of transmission from an injection that has been exposed to HIV is estimated to be between 0.7-0.8%. Sharing drug use equipment, like cookers, and filters during injection use can increase the risk of transmission (even in the absence of sharing needles). The type and frequency of drug use can also impact one’s risk.
If your sexual partner is not on treatment and does not have a suppressed viral load (if they did, there would be no chance of transmission through sex), the chance of HIV transmission varies according to what kind of sex you’re having.
The risk of HIV transmission through receptive anal sex is from 0.5%-3.38%, and 0.06%-0.16% for insertive anal sex. When it comes to receptive vaginal intercourse, there’s a 0.08-0.19% probability of transmission, and 0.05%-0.1% for insertive vaginal intercourse.
For oral sex, the risk if transmission is much lower than for anal and vaginal sex. Findings suggest a low, but non-zero, risk of transmission. This risk can be increased with the presence of oral ulcers, STIs, or trace amounts of blood.
HIV transmission can also happen through breastfeeding, and the probability is of around 9-16%, but decreases if on treatment with an undetectable HIV viral load.
HIV is transmissible without symptoms
HIV starts its journey in the body by infecting immune cells and replicating. As the virus cannot replicate on its own, it uses CD4 T cells in our immune system to create more versions of itself. About two-thirds of new HIV cases express symptoms of acute infection, such as fever, chills, rashes, muscle aches, sore throat, etc. These symptoms can last from a few days to a few weeks and not everybody experiences them.
When the acute (early) HIV infection settles down, the body’s immune system goes back to its regular functioning and the viral load lowers. This ‘in-between time’ can take months or even years and you might show no symptoms. However, HIV is still transmissible during this time if you are not on treatment and your HIV viral load is not undetectable.
