A.I.D.S. Risk For Women In Normal Sex Is Low:... (Press, 2 November 1988)

According to research conducted by Dutch doctors at the University Hospital in Rotterdam, the risk of women contracting the A.I.D.S. virus through normal sexual intercourse with infected men may be significantly lower than previously believed. The study, which was a three-year follow-up, focused on the wives of 13 haemophiliacs who were infected with H.I.V. (the virus responsible for A.I.D.S.) via contaminated blood products. During the study, it was observed that in 11 couples, unprotected sexual intercourse occurred between 1563 and 2520 times, with an additional 942 to 1252 instances of intercourse using condoms. Despite this high frequency of sexual activity, there were no reported cases of the men transmitting the virus to their wives. A British A.I.D.S. expert, who preferred to remain unnamed due to his position as a government adviser, commented on the findings, noting that similar data exists in the UK, suggesting that the period of infectivity for those with the virus might be limited to just a few days following exposure and during the later stages of A.I.D.S. The expert posited that it is possible for a single sexual partner to remain uninfected for several years. However, he pointed out that individuals who engage with many partners face greater risks of coming into contact with someone who is in an infectious phase of the virus. The Dutch researchers, reporting in the British Medical Journal, also noted that the haemophiliac men exhibited varied stages of H.I.V. infection, with some progressing to A.I.D.S. over a span of three to five years. They confirmed that none of the partners tested positive for H.I.V. antibodies at any point during the study period and denied any involvement in homosexual contacts or intravenous drug use. The researchers concluded that the rate of H.I.V. transmission among the study group— regardless of condom usage— was below one in 1000. They stated that in the absence of additional risk factors such as intravenous drug use or homosexual contacts, the transmission of H.I.V. from men to women during vaginal intercourse is infrequent.

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