Protect yourself from HIV

The external condom:

a condom is a "piece of latex", but using it well cannot just be improvised. Sometimes people position it a bad way. And an incorrectly used condom is a condom that is less comfortable, too tight (or not tight enough), and therefore a condom that is more likely to slip or break.

The internal condom (Fémidon):

this condom is a flexible wide sheath. It has a flexible ring at each end. It is introduced into the vagina, or the anus, and lines the walls. It can be used by people allergic to latex.

Don't call it a female condom, since it can be used by gay men during anal sex. It can be put in place several hours before the sexual act. However, you have to change condoms every time you change partners.

You can buy it at a pharmacy or get it for free:

- from associations fighting against AIDS, including AIDES,

- in some CEGIDD (Free Centers for Information, Screening and Diagnosis),

- in Family Planning and CPEF centres (Center for Family Planning and Education).

When to take emergency treatment:

In case of:

- breakage, slipping, failure to use a condom,

- injury or cut with an object stained with blood or semen,

- sharing drug injection equipment or straw (sniff).

This treatment can prevent you from becoming infected with HIV. It is also sometimes called "emergency treatment" or "prophylactic treatment". Now is not the time to panic, but to act.

Emergency treatment consists of taking triple therapy for one month. This enables preventing possible contamination by immediately blocking the replication of HIV. It is effective when this treatment is started very early: if possible within 4 hours of exposure to a risk, and preferably before 24 hours and at most within 48 hours.

In the event of exposure or fear of a risk, you can contact the AIDES association or Sida Info Service. The listener will make an initial risk assessment before indicating the address of the nearest emergency service.

If possible, it is best to come with your partner, which will make it easier for the doctor to assess the risk taken. If your partner is HIV-positive, bringing their latest blood tests is a good idea.

PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) is for people who do not have HIV . This consists of taking a medication preventively in order to avoid contamination. Several studies have proven its effectiveness and show that when the drug is taken correctly according to the indicated schedule, the risk of HIV contamination is minimal.

This treatment must be prescribed by a doctor and requires follow-up (STI screening, verification of drug tolerance, etc.).

In the event of a problem accessing PrEP, contact AIDES by email: prep@aides.org

For more information, see the sites prep-info.fr and seronet.info. There is also a Prep'Dial Facebook group. To find out more about PrEP abroad: prepwatch.org and prepineurope.org

HIV antiretroviral treatment is for people who have HIV : when an HIV-positive person takes their treatment correctly for at least 6 months, the amount of virus decreases very sharply and the viral load becomes "undetectable" in their body.

As a result, the risk of transmission disappears, even during intercourse without a condom.

For more information, see the website www.aides.org

To avoid contamination by HIV or hepatitis B and C, it is necessary to use single-use equipment:

- "roll your straw" notebooks for snorted drugs,

- syringes for injection,

- other equipment for injection.

All these tools are available at AIDES and in the CAARUD (Reception and Support Centers for the Reduction of Risks for Drug Users). An interview is possible to discuss consumption and risk reduction.

Respect, independence, confidentiality and non-judgment are principles/values that are important to AIDES and which allow, among other things, free discussion in a warm and caring environment.

Our activists are at your disposal for sexual health talks in order to discuss with you the ways in which you are contaminated by the different STIs, your level of exposure to risk and the ways in which you can protect yourself that are adapted to you and your practices.

You can contact us by coming directly to one of our 70 locations www.aides.org or by telephone, on social networks (or possibly by post if it is not an emergency). Do not hesitate to refer to the interactive map below to find the nearest AIDES office.