LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
CAMP Safe |
by Sal Seeley |
Not Once but Twice During the weekends you will find me handing out condoms and lube around town! I get a chance to talk to guys about HIV and safer sex. Outreach also affords me an opportunity to get a look at some serious eye candy! Not a bad job, eh? This past weekend, I had gone through almost all my condoms and lube when I approached this guy to see if he wanted some lube or some of our condom packets. Not only was he the hottest thing at the bar but he was my walking wet dream! We chatted a bit and I offered him some of our packets. He told me he was HIV+ and really didn't need to concern himself with condoms or lube if he decided to only have sex with an HIV+ partner. The original thought about HIV+ men having unprotected sex with each other was that since they were infected there could be no further infection. This may not be true. Re-infection occurs when you're already positive and an additional, but different strain of HIV infects you. If getting HIV once is a pain in the butt, the second time is worse. HIV is a nasty little bugger. It can mutate at a very fast pace and will change your genetic makeup. According to researchers, getting infected with a second strain of HIV can speed up the march towards AIDS defining illness by as much as three or four times. Many people that I have talked to question whether or not this information makes a difference. For some it could be the difference of living several more years longer, for some, it means not having sex. Which is more important? Living a healthy life and having safer sex or risking re-infection for an orgasm? When re-infection occurs, the individual experiences a second bout of seroconversion sickness (the flu symptoms we hear about when infected). The body treats this like a completely new virus in the body. This could change what medications you take now and new ones that might be available in the future. Studies have shown that guys who are re-infected had a sudden jump in viral load and a decrease in T-cells. I spoke with my fantasy for about an hour. We walked away not agreeing about the idea of re-infection. He is not willing to give up barebacking with other poz men and I am not willing to be unconcerned for the health of people around me. My job is to give information and for you to decide what chances you are willing to take. Perhaps you can deal with the risk of getting the clap, herpes, and syphilis because they are treatable, but can you deal with the idea of getting another strain of HIV. Not for me, that thought is too scary and not worth a night of fun. Sal Seeley is Program Director of CAMPsafe, an HIV/AIDS program funded through a contract with the Delaware Division of Public Health. E-mail salvatoreseeley@aol.com. Confidential HIV testing is available at CAMP Rehoboth. Call Sal at 302-227-5620 to schedule an appointment. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 16, No. 6 June 2, 2006 |