Dear Counsellor,

I have a wife and a young baby in a rural parish but I work in the Corporate Area. I have several outside sexual relationships. I rotate my outside relationships so that I will have no obligations to any of these girls. I sometimes use condoms with my girlfriends but I don't use condoms with my wife. One of my girlfriends is now very sick. I heard she has AIDS. Should I be worried? I am feeling fine, I am not sick. My baby is also healthy. As a mater of fact, I can remember I only had sex with her without the condoms three times.

Concerned Husband

Dear Concerned Husband,

It is possible for a person to become infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, from a first and only sexual encounter. You had unprotected sex (sex without the condom) with this woman on three occasions, that is enough time for you to become infected with HIV. The fact that you are not sick is not enough to say you are not infected with HIV. It is also possible for you to be infected and your baby is healthy. Remember you cannot tell by looking if someone is infected with HIV. You should seek to get tested as soon as possible. If you continue to have unprotected sex, you are not only putting your life at risk but also your wife's and the other girls with whom you have sex. The more sex partners you have, the greater your chances of meeting one partner who is infected with HIV. You are therefore at risk even when you use a condom every time you have sex because condoms can break if they are not used properly.

For further information on condom use, call the HIV/STD Helpline at 967-3830, 967-3764 or toll free at 1888-991-4444 or write to AIDS Affairs c/o the Star, 7 North Street, Kingston.