Question

The condom broke, is he at risk?

19 November 2015. Related: All topics, HIV testing, HIV transmission, PEP/PEPSE.

I am HIV positive, my husband is HIV negative. While having intercourse the condom broke, I am very worried about him. What is his chances of getting infected and is there any medication or injection he can take to prevent him from getting infected?

Answer

Answer: Robin Jakob

Hi,

You do not say wether or not you are on treatment. If you are on treatment the risk of transmission is very low. If you have an ‘undetectable’ viral load (under 50) then the risk is close to zero.

Even if you are not on treatment he would be unlucky to become positive. This is because HIV is actually quite difficult to catch, it is not transmitted every time you have sex without a condom.

There is medication someone who has had an exposure can take. This is called post exposure prophylaxis or PEP. These are HIV drugs you use to reduce the chance of an infection. This has to be taken within 72 hours of the exposure.

You can find information about PEP on our website.