Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2005. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Mail & Guardian (Johannesburg) - February 22, 2005
Mark Weston**
ART drugs are a remarkable medical success. If taken properly, they add at least 10 years to the life of someone who would otherwise die within two. Distributing them, however, requires effective health systems and well-trained medical personnel. Africa has neither of these and treatment programmes have only reached a fraction of those who need them.
Prevention, then, still matters, but prevention programmes in Africa have so far largely failed. "Safe sex" messages promoting abstinence or condom use have been largely ignored. Most Africans, like most Europeans, have sex young, often and with a variety of partners. Few regularly use condoms. Even the most knowledgeable take risks - a study by the University of KwaZulu-Natal has found that HIV counsellors are no more likely to use condoms than those they advise.
The problem with condoms is that they make sex worse. Many couples are willing to trade safety for better sex, and policy-makers have yet to find a way of reducing HIV transmission without reducing pleasure.
Oral sex may provide a solution. As well as adding variety to sex lives, oral sex is much less infective than vaginal or anal sex. A 2002 Spanish study, published in the journal Aids, of heterosexual couples where one partner was HIV-positive and the other negative found that in more than 19 000 acts of unprotected oral sex, not one resulted in a new HIV infection. More oral sex, in short, means less HIV.
Oral sex is currently taboo in Africa. Few admit to practising it and the little research available suggests vaginal and anal sex are much more common. Breaking taboos is tough, but persuading people to surrender their pleasures is tougher. Oral sex makes sex both more fun and less risky. As a means of reducing HIV infections in Africa, it shouldn't be such a hard idea for policy-makers to swallow.
** Mark Weston is co-author of the World Economic Forum's annual HIV/Aids and Business Survey Report
050222
MG050205
Copyright © 2005 - Daily Mail & Guardian. For information about the content or for permission to redistribute, publish or use for broadcast, contact the publisher.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Elton John AIDS Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, Pacific Life Foundation and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2005. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2005. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .