Reinfection.

[yperoxos]

A question please. What happens when someone already hiv+ and on treatment, has sex with another hiv+ and contracts the virus again.

Is his treatment already effective on the new virus? How does this whole thing work?

I want to have sex again but I am afraid. Of course I'll be very cautious but, as you know, accidents happen.

I am very interested in answers from long time patients about the subject and how they deal with it.

Thank you

[AJ52]

You can have sex again. I've been diagnosed since 1992 I had my son in 1998. What you need to do is make sure your counts are non detectable, and you are healthy. Use condoms forcanal or vaginal sex. And be open to oral sex. Even thought the percentage rate of HIV contraction through oral sex is low by 2% oral sex is OK. Have sex just be cautious and make sure both of you are non detectable

[yperoxos in reply to AJ52]

Thank you Aj. This is not what I am asking though. My question is about when someone contracts the virus again how things work. Whether the treatment he is on will save him or is it the case that with each consequent contraction his therapy becomes inactive and has to change?

[AJ52 in reply to yperoxos]

I was informed that the body immune system can only fight one infection at a time. If someone contracted another series HIV the immune is only going to work on the original HIV and no medication will help the second round of HIV. Eventually and unfortunately the body won't recover from the second and then no medication will help and that's a problem. Therefore if there a second HIV virus in a body stoovall sexual contact and know there is no therapy (medication) that can fight two HIV. It's called double impact. Very dangerous. It can end up in a bad results. Sorry hope this helps

[Hidden]

Once you have been infected with HIV, your body develops HIV antibodies. These antibodies fight and destroy any new infection. So have sex, live your life. There is nothing for you to worry about.

[pauldecle Partner ForumLink]

Hi Everyone,

I am having a wonderful time in Vienna but have to get my flight home very soon so this will have to be short. I just wanted to add some clarity to this question.

There is in essence no problem getting infected with the HIV virus again if it is the normal wild type for your area (wild type means it is just the run-of-the-mill virus with no mutations or resistance to medication). The medication you are on will prevent the new infection taking hold.

However, if you are infected from someone who has been heavily treated with many combinations of drugs in the past and their virus has mutated and become resistant to some of the antiretroviral medication you are taking that could be a problem. If it is a problem your medical team will spot it through regular viral load testing because the resistant virus will show as a peaking viral load.

Your Doctor will also be able to tell what drugs the new virus is resistant to and in most cases will be able to adjust your medication to fight the new resistant virus.

I hope this helps but if you would like more information you can email me at [e-mail]

PS. I have loads of sex go and enjoy your life.

[yperoxos in reply to pauldecle]

Thank you Paul. Very informative, I hope you are back home safe and well.

[yperoxos in reply to pauldecle]

In addition to the above Paul, would you agree that taking Truvada everyday (it is part of my hart regimen) makes me even more protected in the sense that Truvada is a Prep drug as well?

[Ronjohn62]

if you are both undetectable the chance of transmitting any HIV is less than 1%