PRACTICE & RISK TABLE
PRACTICE	RISK	NOTES
Abstinence	No risk	–
Masturbation	No risk	–
Sex with a monogamous, infected partner	No risk	It is difficult to know if partner is monogamous and uninfected
Unshared sex toys	No risk	–
Shaking hands with an HIV-infected person	No risk	–
Sitting on a public toilet seat	No risk	–
Getting bitten by a mosquito	No risk	–
Massage	No risk	–
Hugging an HIV positive person	No risk	–
Sharing sex toys with cleaning or use of new condom	Low/No risk	–
Sexual stimulation of another’s genitals using hands	Low/No risk	Risk of HIV is very low if there are no cuts or broken skin on hands, especially if there is no contact with vaginal secretions, semen, or menstrual blood. Some STI that are passed through skin to skin contact are possible
Deep (tongue) kissing	Low/No risk	Risk is higher if bleeding gums, sores, or cuts in mouth. No risk due to saliva itself
Oral sex on a woman with a barrier	Low/No risk	Risk is very low. Barrier/condom must be used correctly Some STI (eg herpes) can be transmitted through contact with skin not covered by barrier/condom
Oral sex on a man with a condom	Low/No risk	–
Vaginal sex with a condom	Low risk	Small risk of condom slippage or breakage-reduced with correct use, Some STI(herpes) can be transmitted through contact with skin not covered by condom
Vaginal sex with multiple partners, condoms used every time	Low risk	Multiple partners increase risk, however correct and consistent condom use lowers risk
Anal sex with condom	Low to Medium risk	Risk of condom breakage greater than for vaginal sex. risk of breakage is decreased by use of water based lubricant. some STI(herpes) can be transmitted through contact with skin not covered by condom. if after the anal sex the penis with condom is inserted into a female partner’s vagina, both HIV and other infections can spread due to faecal contamination.
Oral sex on a man without a condom	Medium risk	HIV and STI can be transmitted through oral sex: however. Risk is lower than that of anal or vaginal sex. safer if no ejaculation in mouth
Oral sex on a woman without a barrier	Medium risk	HIV and STI can be transmitted through oral sex: however risk is lower than that of anal or vaginal sex.
Withdrawal-removing the penis before ejaculation	Reduced risk	HIV can be present in pre-ejaculation and therefore risk of transmission is high, however withdrawal may reduce risk of HIV transmission somewhat. Unlikely to reduce risk of STI.
Pre-ejaculation	High risk	–
Vaginal sex without a condom	High risk	One of the highest risk activities. Receptive partner is at greater risk.
Anal sex without a condom	High risk	One of the highest risk activities. Receptive partner is at greater risk but the risk of the active partner is higher than originally thought. If the penis is then put into female partner’s vagina. Infection can spread-both HIV and other infection-due to faecal contamination.
Fingers/hands/objects put into anus	Medium risk of some infection	If the Finger/Hand/Object is then put into a female partner’s vagina or the partner’s mouth, Infection due to faecal contamination can spread.
Vaginal sex using hormonal contraceptives or IUD and no condom	High risk	Hormonal contraceptive and IUDs do not protect against STI or HIV
Sharing needles, syringes, drug solutions, or other drug paraphernalia	High risk	HIV and hepatitis viruses can readily be transmitted from infected person through sharing of injection during drug use.
injection in clinical settings	Unknown risk	If the clinic uses disposable needles/cutting equipment one time or sterilizes needles/equipment there is no risk. If these are used, there is risk. This may be common in services provided by ‘quacks’ of other such pharmacists.
Breastfeeding from an HIV-infected mother	High risk	Although risk is relatively high, If no other good sources of nutrition is available, it is recommended that HIV-positive women breastfeed.
Making love to your spouse	Unknown risk	It may be difficult to know whether your spouse engages in activities that put you at risk
Receiving blood transfusion	Unknown risk	In Many Countries, the blood supply is adequately screened for HIV,
Occupational exposure to blood or body fluids	Varies depending on exposure	HIV and other pathogens can be transmitted through contact with blood or other body fluids. Risk can be Minimized if universal precautions for infection control are followed with all clients.