The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports the case of a woman who was infected with HIV during sex with another woman.
The case which happened in Texas in 2012 involved a monogamous lesbian couple. One of the women was positive the other was not. The couple did not take any protective measures during sex and had engaged in sexual activity that resulted in the exchange of blood through cuts and grazes.
The partner who had been HIV-free became infected. Health officials could find no other explanation why and concluded that it was likely she was infected by her partner.
The report says that while the risk of HIV transmission between female sex partners is low, it can occur when bodily fluids such as menstrual blood and vaginal fluids come into contact with a cut, abrasion or a mucus membrane.
Researchers say this case study emphasises the need for all couples, including women who have sex with women to take measures to prevent HIV transmission and to avoid all contact between HIV-infected blood or blood-contaminated bodily fluids and broken skin, wounds or mucus membranes.
The report was published in the March 13 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
To read the report, CLICK HERE:
Paul Ward, Acting Chief Executive at Terrence Higgins Trust, said: “Sex between two women carries an extremely low risk of HIV transmission. However, in any sexual pairing, the risk of transmission increases when one of the couple has HIV but is not on treatment. In this case, when the HIV-positive partner stopped taking anti-HIV drugs in 2010, it is likely the amount of virus in her blood increased dramatically. Modern drug treatments don’t just keep people with HIV fit and well; they can also greatly reduce the risk of infection.”
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