Matthew Hodson: STIs in a post-condoms world

Everybody knows that with an undetectable viral load a human living with HIV could not transmit the virus to his partner. Knowledge of one’s undetectable virus is good, but some specialists working with HIV-positive patients note, that this knowledge may individuals with HIV to behave less careful with their health and the health of their partners. People with an undetectable viral load may ignore the importance of condoms usage. They are sure they could not transmit the virus to their sexual partners, but they totally forget about STI.

People at high risk of becoming HIV-positive, who use PrEP as preventative HIV care, may practice unprotected sex, also forgetting about sexually transmitted diseases. We should not forget - PrEP is not a protection from all sexually transmitted infections, PrEP does not protect our health from the STI.

People who use PrEP usually behave more carefully and always pass routine tests and consultations by their treating doctors. Specialists from the UK have noted a 24 percent improvement in cases of gonorrhoea among the individuals using PrEP - so if a person using PrEP found some disease, they are more likely to treat it as soon as possible and to pass the needed treatment to avoid the transmission of the disease.