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Researchers from the University of
California, Berkeley and McMaster University report that previous studies have
underestimated the rate of HIV transmission from infidelity. According to
Professor Wayne Getz, women are more likely to be infected with HIV before they
enter a stable relationship, whereas men are more likely to be infected through
infidelity. Getz suggested it is possible that pre-relationship transmission is
higher for women because they tend to be “involved” with older men who have had
more partners and more exposure to HIV and other STDs.
To reach this conclusion, the
research team studied differences in HIV prevalence among single people and
“cohabiting partners” in sub-Saharan Africa, and then compared results with the
population’s background HIV rates. The study, which used math modeling to
estimate whether HIV transmission was due to infidelity, indicated that “out-of-couple”
sex was responsible for 27 to 61 percent of HIV infections in men and 21 to 51
percent in women.
Based on the study’s findings, the
researchers recommend that HIV prevention should focus on the entire sexually
active population rather than concentrating on couples in which one person has
HIV and the partner does not. The authors also recommended prompt treatment for
all HIV-infected people to prevent spreading the virus.
Co-author Professor Jonathan Dushoff
stated that the study clarifies that all routes of
transmission—pre-relationship, extra-relationship, and within relationship—are
important.
The full report, “Extra-couple HIV
Transmission in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Mathematical Modelling Study of Survey
Data,” was published online in the journal The Lancet (2013;
doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(12)61960-6).
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
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