Hi. You can get a free and anonymous HIV rapid test (results in 20 minutes) at one of the three NZAF clinics located in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. We also contract counselors who can provide testing in other regions outside of these main centers. To book an HIV test through us, click the Get Tested icon at the top right of the NZAF website homepage; simply complete the form and someone will be in touch with you. Alternatively you can search the White Pages for your nearest sexual health clinic, who will also provide a free, anonymous test. It is important to bear in mind that there is a window period of up to 3 months after exposure to HIV before antibodies to HIV appear in the bloodstream (an HIV test tests for antibodies to HIV rather than HIV itself). Getting tested immediately after exposure may give a false negative result, so it is very important to have an HIV test at the 3 month period.

- NZAF official response

Hi thanks for your question. The short answer to your question is yes, the NZAF HIV test does test for all strains of HIV. Our HIV tests test for antibodies to HIV rather than the virus itself so the test will pick up HIV if it is present in the body, regardless of the strain. If you would like to book an HIV test through the NZAF click on the 'Get Tested' icon at the top right of this screen.

- NZAF official response

Hi. There is virtually no risk of contracting HIV from receiving oral sex - the risk only increases slightly if there is a blood to blood contact such as a bleeding cut in the mouth of the person giving oral sex and an open sore on your penis. Other sexually transmitted infections (STI's) such as Gonorrhoea can be transmitted by giving or receiving oral sex, however. If you have reason to believe that you may have been exposed to an STI we would encourage you to have a full STI screening through your local GP or sexual health clinic.

- NZAF official response

Hi. If you wore a condom at all times during penetrative sex and the condom did not break or slip off, then your risk of having been exposed to HIV is extremely remote and an HIV test would not be considered necessary.

- NZAF official response

Hi, thanks for your question. An HIV test measures antibodies to HIV, rather than HIV itself, and the antibodies can take up to 3 months to appear in your blood. So if you had an HIV test 3 months after potential exposure to the HIV virus then yes, a test at that time would be completely accurate. It is also important to point out that HIV can not be transmitted via skin to skin contact, so rubbing your penis around the entrance to a vagina would represent a low risk of HIV transmission. HIV is only transmitted via unprotected penetrative or receptive anal or vaginal sex, blood to blood contact, sharing needles, childbirth and breastfeeding. Of course there is nothing stopping you from having a second HIV test for peace of mind. At the NZAF we offer free and confidential testing, and you can book an appointment by clicking the 'Get Tested' icon at the top right of this screen.

- NZAF official response

Hi, thanks for your question. An HIV test measures antibodies to HIV, rather than HIV itself, and these antibodies can take up to three months to appear in your blood. The time between somebody acquiring HIV and the development of antibodies is called the window period. An HIV test within this critical window period is discouraged, in order to prevent the possibility of a false reading.

If you believe you have been exposed to HIV it is also important to understand that in addition to the virus being undetectable during the window period, people with HIV are also most infectious during this period; which means there is an increased likelihood of passing the HIV virus to another person if a condom is not used.

We understand that this may be a very stressful time for you, so please feel free to take advantage of our free and confidential counselling services if you feel the need to talk.You can find information on our centres under the 'Our Services' tab on our homepage.

- NZAF official response

Hi. Different STI's have different 'window periods' or time-frames between exposure and the appearance of symptoms. With HIV we test for antibodies to HIV rather than HIV itself and it can take up to 3 months for these antibodies to appear in a person's bloodstream. An HIV test within this critical window period is discouraged, in order to prevent the possibility of a false reading.

More information about specific STI's can be read here: http://www.getiton.co.nz/sti-info/
If you feel you may have been exposed to an STI we do offer free and confidential Fastests for HIV, Syphilis and Hepatitis C, with results in 20 minutes. You can book a test by clicking the 'Get Tested' icon at the top right of this screen.

- NZAF official response

Hi. The answer to your question is YES; some STIs such as chlamydia, gonorrhoea, warts and even syphilis can be transmitted either by skin to skin contact or by touching an uninfected area immediately after touching an infected area. HIV however can only be transmitted via blood to blood contact or via unprotected anal or vaginal sex. A practical first step would be to ask this girl if she has any known STIs. If you still feel you may have been exposed we would encourage you to have a full STI screening through your GP or sexual health clinic.

- NZAF official response

Hi, thanks for your question. There are two factors to consider in your situation; the possible method of transmission and the test window period. If you had unprotected anal intercourse or if there was direct blood to blood contact then we would always recommend a test at the 3 month stage. However in your case we're talking about unprotected oral sex, which presents a very low risk of infection in the first place. Research has shown that saliva acts as a natural barrier to HIV, so it is unlikely you would contract HIV from receiving a blowjob. Risk with oral sex would only increase if there was an excessive amount of blood in the girl's mouth and if you had open sores on your penis. Secondly, when we talk about a three month window period we are factoring in the optimum amount of time for the antibodies to HIV to appear in the bloodstream. 83 days is just short of 3 months so we are confident that a negative result at 83 days is 100% accurate. We understand your anxiety, however, so you are more than welcome to visit us for a second test if you wish.

- NZAF official response

Hi, thanks for your questions.
Many people find sexual satisfaction in pornography, and it is entirely up to the user to decide how porn fits into their sex life. If you have concerns about your own use of pornography you may find it helpful to talk through these concerns with someone. At the NZAF we offer excellent free and confidential counselling services with counsellors who specialise in all areas of sexual identity. Click the 'Our Services' tab on our homepage to find out more. In regards to your second question, no you cannot get sexually transmitted diseases from a handjob. The only exception would be if you are the person giving the handjob and semen comes into direct contact with an open wound on your hand, which would present a very small risk of transmission.

- NZAF official response

Hi, thank you for your question. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention website has an excellent section on HIV transmission that you would find very helpful - http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/qa/transmission.htm. The fourth topic from the bottom at this link talks about HIV transmission via mosquitos. Many reputable HIV research organisations have concluded studies that show no evidence whatsoever of HIV transmission via mosquitos or any other insect, so it is not possible that your father has acquired HIV from a mosquito that bit you. The risk of transmitting HIV through sharing eating utensils or drinking from the same glass is also extremely unlikely. There is a lot of research showing that saliva acts as a natural barrier to the HIV virus, so transmission of HIV via saliva is very low. Blisters are a known symptom of HIV but there is no reason to conclude that your father’s blisters represent a presence of HIV infection. HIV is transmitted through unprotected anal sex, direct blood to blood contact, breastfeeding, childbirth and sharing needles. Without giving your father an HIV test we could not confirm if he has acquired HIV, but we can confidently say that if you have not partaken in the above activities with your father, then he has not acquired HIV from you. Naturally this is a stressful experience for you so we would like to extend our support through our free and confidential counselling services, should you like to discuss this further with one of our support centre staff. We have centres in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch and can provide services in many other locations around the country also. To find the centre closest to you click on ‘Our Services’ on the homepage.

- NZAF official response

Hi there, thanks for your question. Free and confidential STI testing is available at the NZAF's clinics in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, and some regional centres also. Our FASTest for HIV, Syphilis and Hepatitis C gives results in 20 minutes. To find out more about our FASTest, where our clinics are and how to book an appointment, click on the 'Get Tested' icon at the top right of this screen. You can also book an STI test with your local doctor or sexual health clinic. If you have any questions at all about our testing process, please feel free to call us on 0800 80 AIDS (2437).

- NZAF official response

Kissing is an extremely low risk activity for catching an STI. As you did not have unprotected anal sex your risk of contracting HIV is also extremely unlikely. Oral sex and rimming carry small risks for infections including herpes, oral syphilis, Hepatitis A and Chlamydia so if you have concerns we would recommend visiting one of our sexual health centres for a check up or to speak with one of our trained counsellors. Book a counselling session or STI/HIV FASTtest here.

- NZAF official response

It depends on where you had the blood test taken and how long the laboratory take to analyse the results, which test they use, and the urgency given to them. It is best to check with whoever carried out your blood test.

- NZAF official response

Thanks for your query. The question addresses some complex issues so we’ve asked our senior researcher Peter Saxton to provide a response below. We’re also assuming that your question relates to anal sex between males; if this isn’t the case please let us know since HIV transmission risk is heavily influenced by the type of sex occurring e.g. anal sex vs vaginal sex.

Your question has several parts to it so they’ll be addressed one at a time.

First of all, from your posting it looks like you’re aware that oral sex is considered low risk for HIV. In fact, receptive oral sex is estimated to have a per-episode risk of HIV transmission of approximately 1 in 10,000, a risk that has been determined in NZ courts to not present a “significant risk” of HIV transmission. The reasons for this are important to clarify. Mainly, this is because the mouth does not contain high concentrations of cells that are vulnerable to HIV infection, nor does it contain many cells that harbour HIV virus. Also, saliva possesses protective qualities that help keep viruses and bacteria out of the body, in ways that anal mucus doesn’t. This is an important difference that explains why receptive oral sex is so much less risky than receptive anal sex as far as HIV is concerned – if someone ejaculates HIV infected semen into an anus, the risks for the HIV negative receptive man are far greater than if HIV infected semen is ejaculated into a mouth. The normally very low risk of oral sex is of course increased if the body’s immune system in the mouth is compromised, for example if you have bleeding gums, have recently had dental work, or if you have an ulcer. Even then, the risk from anal sex is still greater.

Second, unprotected anal sex is the most efficient way of sexually acquiring HIV. Again, the reason is due to the different biology of the anus. The anus has a very high concentration of cells that are both vulnerable to HIV infection, and which also harbour HIV virus. Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as syphilis, herpes, gonorrhoea and anal warts that are present in the anus can substantially heighten the risk of HIV acquisition and transmission, and many of these infections may go unnoticed and/or unchecked. In addition, a person with HIV is much more infectious in the early stages of infection, and when they have other STIs in addition to HIV (which may or may not be noticed/treated). Due to these issues and other biological and genetic factors, although the per contact risk of HIV transmission for unprotected receptive anal sex with an HIV positive man has recently been estimated at 1 in 70 episodes (and presents a “significant risk” of transmission in NZ law), in that study 12 of the 46 men who contracted HIV had experienced fewer than 10 episodes of unprotected receptive anal sex. It is still not well understood why some men become infected very quickly, and for others it takes many episodes. The probability of HIV transmission through unprotected anal sex can therefore be described as both high and variable. Receptive anal sex is also more risky than insertive anal sex, but both carry considerable transmission risks. Condoms effectively reduce this high biological risk by physically interrupting the way HIV is transmitted in the anus. By reducing the per contact risk to “below significant”, a condom also removes any legal risk (i.e. a man who knows he has HIV cannot be prosecuted for having anal sex if a condom is used).

Thirdly, you asked what effect an undetectable viral load might have on transmission risks. Four things are important to emphasise here:

(a) the term “undetectable” merely describes the limits of the viral load tests currently available. HIV is still present, albeit at levels that are below what the current test can detect. The phrase “undetectable” is increasingly being replaced with “low viral load” in order to more accurately communicate that HIV is not absent.

(b) viral load tests are only conducted a few times a year, and in between tests HIV levels can increase (“blip”) for different reasons – sometimes because the HIV positive individual is fighting off another infection (e.g. a cold or an STI) , sometimes for reasons unknown.

(c) standard viral load tests measure the quantity of HIV in blood, to help inform HIV treatment practices. However, it does not measure the quantity of HIV levels in semen, or in anal mucus, which are the main body fluids implicated in sexual practices. This is important because HIV levels in semen and in the anal mucus can differ from those measured in blood, meaning that a recent low blood viral load result may not mean that a person has low HIV viral load in semen or anal mucus. Unfortunately for gay and bisexual men, very little research has investigated HIV viral load in anal mucus, so it is difficult to say precisely in what ways it is different to HIV in semen or blood.

(d) while lower blood HIV viral loads can mean that a person is less infectious than someone with higher blood HIV viral loads, there is therefore mounting evidence that the last blood viral load test may not be a good indicator of current sexual infectiousness. Individuals with low blood viral load at their last test have transmitted HIV to sexual partners, even when that person has been adherent to HIV treatments, and in the absence of STIs.

For these reasons, it is still possible to contract HIV through unprotected anal sex with an HIV positive individual who has had a recent “undetectable” blood viral load test. For a one-off sexual encounter, the risk would be very difficult to quantify, because of the many variables at play – both known and unknown to both partners. Our practical recommendation is therefore to regard all unprotected anal sex as riskier than other sexual practices. It is also important to emphasise that condoms work very well to prevent HIV transmission through anal sex, and help protect both partner’s health in many other ways, while at the same time enabling partners to continue to enjoy having anal sex.

A short review of HIV treatments and their impact on sexual risk for men has recently been published online here which you might also find useful.

We hope this was helpful and answered your concerns, please let us know if you’d like to discuss this more.

- NZAF official response

We'd advise waiting until your treatment is finished. Talk to whoever prescribed your medication or your chemist or GP if you've any questions about your treatment.

Some NZAF Regional Centres offer a full STI screening service, as well as the HIV and syphilis FASTest. Contact us for details on your nearest centre. You can also contact your nearest sexual health clinic.

(NZAF note - this answer was edited on 24 May 2010.)

- NZAF official response

A HIV test doesn't test for the virus in your blood - it tests for antibodies for HIV. It is not possible to tell if somebody has contracted HIV immediately, as sometimes these antibodies can take up to three months to appear in your blood. This is called the window period.

If you're worried about your HIV status, it's important to talk to someone. Your nearest NZAF Centre can talk with you about all the issues you face, and talk to you about testing. The HIV test the NZAF uses is called the FASTest, and gives results within twenty minutes (although we ask you to take an hour out of your schedule for the appointment).

It's really important to use condoms and lube every time you have sex - they're the best way to protect yourself and your partner from the HIV.

- NZAF official response

You can get free condoms from the NZAF.

- NZAF official response

It's important that you use condoms correctly, to make sure they don't break. Firstly, before you put on a condom you should make sure it's use-by date hasn't passed. Condoms should never be stored near a source of heat, as this can weaken the latex. When you're using a condom, you should always use water-based lube. Oil-based lube (for instance Vaseline or lotion) can weaken the latex used to make

HIV can be present in the mucous lining of the anus; if he’s not wearing a condom, the virus can enter a man’s body through the end of his penis or the inner folds of his foreskin. If you're concerned about any sexual act, it's best to contact your nearest NZAF Centre to book a test.

- NZAF official response