23
the persons life. This high of a viral load is not seen
again in the course of the infection until the last period
of infection called Full Blown AIDS, which often pre
cedes death.
Exposure to a single instance of the virus is not
enough to infect a healthy individual. Over the course
of evolution, the human body has developed immune
responses and protections that combat a certain level of
viral infection. Studies show that a critical viral mass of
HIV is needed to infect a healthy person. In other words,
T 7 1 i‘ 1 ^ positive person
1 do no want to belittle with a virai bad be-
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also revealing that drug use can mcrease viral loads-as
well, and may even speed up the course of the HIV
infection.
low that critical num
ber has sexual inter-
the threat that HIV
poses to our community, ^^^urse with a negative
person, the risk of
infection drops dramatically below what it would be if
their viral load exceeded that level. Thus, many research
ers believe that new HIV infections are on the decline
in certain commumties because of protease inhibitors
(a main component of medication for people living
with HIV) that are able to decrease viral loads, often
to undetectable levels. It becomes more difficult for
the virus to spread when these powerful drugs keep its
numbers in check.
. •
This is important when thinking about how HIV
spreads. If high viral loads dramatically increase trans
mission rates, then it would seem that those two points
during the HIV infection with the highest viral loads
would be the times that the virus is most easily transmit
ted. While this is technically true, it isn’t practically useful
information. This is due to the fact that when a person’s
viral loads are so high, the body reacts with a powerful
immune response. This experience is something similar
to an acute flu infection. In short, it wipes you out People
often say that HIV has no symptoms at first - but this
isn’t entirely true. It’s just that the initial flu-like infection
(which lasts for a few days) is often mistaken for an actual
flu infection. Thus, the moment that HIV-positive people
are the most likely to infect others is the moment when
they’re experiencing these unpleasant symptoms. This
may cause some concern for TV-drug transmission, but
it’s doubtful that one would be interested in having sex
when one can barely get out of bed.
During the course of a “normal” HIV infection, the
viral load follows somewhat of a pattern, as described
above. However, other STDs complicate matters. As
mentioned previously, STDs that cause open sores are
an important factor for increased transmission risk, but
this isn’t the whole story. The other reason lies in the
increased viral loads of HIV in people infected with
other STDs. HIV-positive people who are simultane
ously infected with another STD carry higher viral loads
than those without other infections. This is yet another
important reason for vigilance when monitoring STD
outbreaks other than HIV. New scientific studies are
A Call for Informed Dialogue
No one seems to be interested in discussing the real
ity of the HIV epidemic in the United States. Images
of Afiican countries being ravaged and freak cases of
infection by nontraditional methods dominate our un
derstanding of the disease. While it is important for the
United States to help tackle the debilitating epidemic in
other countries, it is equally important for us to under
stand the epidemic in our own country. Moreover, within
our community much of what we hear is from alleged
safe sex campaigns that often do more to scare queer
men away from sex than to encourage them to play safely.
Healthy sex campaigns must be sex-positive and must
be founded on solid data and scientific knowledge, or
we can expect to see more pamc and side effects such
as the “bug chasers.”
I want to stress the fact that I am not interested in
promoting unsafe sex - consistent condom use is vital
to keeping HIV on the decline. Heavy drug use (namely
crystal methamphetamine) and the subsequent risky
sexual behavior some men are engaging in are threatening
to destroy the progress our commumty has made toward
eliminating the virus from the community. I do no want
to belittle the threat that HIV poses to our community.
That said, I am interested in the facts - specifically those
that arent being discussed. No one seems interested
in telling you that if you use protection consistently,
regularly get tested for HIV and other STDs, and com
municate honestly and openly with your sexual parmers,
there is no reason why you cannot lead an active sexual
life free from fear of contracting HIV Can condoms
break? Yes. Can the virus be transmitted during oral sex?
Yes. But the gap between possibility and probability has
been skewed, and when dealing with a virus like HIV,
we cannot afford to wallow in ignorance.
Editors Note: Trevor Hoppe is a senior political science wcyor
and sexuality studies minor. He would like to thank Professor
David Halperinfrom the University of Michigan for assistance
with this article.