please access my risk

[neal246]

as so many on this site i made a silly mistake whilst on holiday in Morrocco(and heavily drunk) where i had unprotected vaginal sex twice with 2 different sex workers!!
The first time i did actually have a condom on but it slipped off. The second time i was only actually inserted for 5 mins before i pulled out and put a condom on ( the girl assured me she had no std's).

Since i got back home i have been going through chronic anxiety / on internet all day looking up hiv sites etc. It has been 12 weeks i have had no obvious symptoms in the first 4 weeks, however recently (11 weeks on) i have noticed muscle pains / pains in my armpits / red spots on my left thigh.

I am such a coward that i have had tests for all the other STD's inc HSV / Chlamydia / gonorrhoea / NSU and all have been negative. I understand that most new HIV episodes normally come with HSV 2 ??

I am seriously stressing out but cant find the bottle to get tested!!

Please analyse my risk of possibly catching HIV

thx in advance

[Edward W Hook, MD]

3% if the figure you provided (2.9%= approximately 3%) for the prevalence of HIV among Morrocan CSWs.  EWH

[neal246]

so does a 3% rate mean, 3% of sexworkers have hiv??

[Edward W Hook, MD]

HIV prevalence rates vary greatly even within a country with some of the CSWs who work in lower cost brothels and situations having higher rates than the typically more expensive CSWs working with travelers.  A 3% rate is 30 times higher than the rate for heterosexual women in North America and between 1/3 and 1/2 the rate of infection among men who have sex with men living n major U.S. cities.  EWH

[neal246]

thankyou for yor replies i am booked for a test on Friday, but i was hoping you could answer 1 other question for me?

i was reading about statistics on HIV in Morrocco, and i found that the recent stats state that although as a country the HIV rate is very low(lower than UK) it is increasing alot in groups such as sex workers.
It states that the prevalance rate is now 2.9% amongst sex workers in Morocco. What does this mean? Is this high ? and how dos it compare to developed countries like the US or UK??

thx in advance

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Dr. Handsfield deleted your follow-up. Follow-up messages should be continued as part of the same post.

Certainly the absence of other STDs is in your favor and if you had gotten an STD (of any sort) your risk would be higher (but not much higher) than if you had not.  All STDs (including HSV) increase the risk for transmission but transmission can also occur without the presence of other STDs.  EWH

[neal246]

i received an email stating that H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D answered my question, but i cant see the answer??

[neal246]

thx for the quick reply, i will get tested asap, however does the fact that i was tested negative for all other STD's inc HSV 2 have no relevance??

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Welcome to our Forum. Your risk of HIV form the exposures you describe is low but you need to be tested to put your fears to rest.  Please get over your fear of HIV testing.  Testing does not give a person HIV but it does give them the power to know what is going on and whether or not they have the infection.  Most tests are negative and if you were so unfortunate as to have HIV, the test would allow you to seek treatment sooner.  There is no reason to delay or avoid HIV testing.   Getting tested will change nothing but relieve your concerns.

As far as your risk is concerned, it is low. Most commercial sex workers do not have HIV and even if one of your partners had HIV, infection is only transmitted, on average, once every 1000 exposures.  

Your symptoms are not a sign of HIV.  They have occurred too late to reflect HIV and such symptoms are nonspecific.

My advice- don't worry but, rather than taking my advice, get tested so you can put your concerns behind you once and for all.  At this time. test results will be definitive (and, I predict, negative).  EWH