Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2008. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Sunday Times (Johannesburg) - October 5, 2008
Claire Keeton
Nearly 5000 sex acts were reported in a Cape Town survey of 58 HIV-positive women and 24 HIV-positive men over a 42-day period, the results of which were published in the October issue of the Journal of Aids.
More than half (58%) of the HIV-positive men's sex partners were not infected with the virus.
Of the 5000 sex acts reported, 80% involved no condom use at all.
The participants did not always drink but, when they did, they had an average of six drinks each before having unprotected sex.
"More than half of the unprotected sex events were with HIV-negative partners or partners with unknown HIV status," said the researchers, who were led by Dr Susan Kiene and Dr Leickness Simbayi.
The results led them to conclude that moderate or heavy drinking increased the chances and rates of unsafe sex. They also now believe that prevention efforts should tackle this trend.
Another study of HIV risk among 15-to 24-year-old females and their older male partners, or "sugar daddies", found both parties wrongly believed the other to be at low risk for HIV.
The study's author, Professor Suzanne Leclerc-Madlala, said young women often believed that a "nice, married man" is a safer partner "than their young boyfriend who is with other girls".
"The older men tend to think the young women are safer, cleaner partners. This is no longer the case," Leclerc-Madlala said.
She said modern young women increasingly get involved with sugar daddies with the expectation of material reward, whether in basic goods or luxury items.
They tended to think they were in control of their sexual relationship, but in reality they had little control over condom use with older men.
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