High Risk Behavior/Attitudes For Acquiring HIV Infection

Exposure to a Person Experiencing Acute HIV May Present High Risk for Getting Infected; Misconceptions about HIV Treatment Among Uninfected
      Reported for NATAP by Harvey Bartnoff, MD

Sexual HIV transmission was shown to occur a median of 2 days before (range 7 days before to 7 days after) a source partner had symptoms (severe "flu") of acute HIV infection, according to Christopher D. Pilcher, MD of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (abstract 411). A total of 5 couples were in the study, including transmission from 1 male to male, 3 males to females and 1 female to male. The authors also found that newly infected persons may be sexually contagious as early as 5-13 days after their sexual exposure. Persons with acute HIV infection (and prior to symptoms) are thought to be quite contagious sexually, due to very high HIV viral loads. Some experts believe that exposure to a person experiencing acute HIV infection, whether it be sexually or thru IVDU, is the major source for new infections.

Among 250 young (ages 23-29 years) gay/bisexual men in Los Angeles reporting unknown or HIV negative status, those reporting "confidence in HAART" were nearly 4-fold more likely than those without confidence to report unprotected (no condom) anal sex in the previous 6 months (abstract 213). The lead author was Dr. T. Bingham of the HIV Epidemiology program there.