TO SUM IT UP: HOW TO PROTECT ONESELF!

5.1 Daily contact
Of the infectious diseases described above, only the ‘flu and TB can be transmitted through daily contact. Testing new arrivals with a chronic cough for TB has greatly reduced the risk of infection with TB. Protecting yourself from the ‘flu (influenza) is virtually impossible. Fortunately, the ‘flu is not serious. Only people in poor health should have themselves vaccinated. To avoid spreading bacteria or viruses through the air, always cover your mouth and turn away from others when coughing. Use disposable tissues for colds.

5.2 Sexual contact
In sexual contact sperm, menstrual or other blood, pre-come or vaginal secretions can enter another person’s bloodstream and cause infections. The use of a condom during vaginal and anal sexual intercourse provides an effective protection. For anal sex use an extra-strong condom with additional water-based lubricant. Oil-based lubricants (such as vaseline) will damage the condom’s rubber and may cause rips. Prevent any sperm, pre-come or vaginal secretions from entering your mouth. When giving blowjobs (having oral sex), use a condom. For cunnilingus, you can cut open the condom. French kissing, petting and masturbating yourself or others are also safe. Condoms don’t protect against pubic lice.

5.3 Other forms of blood-to-blood contact Based on Trautmann / Barendregt ‘European Peer Support Manual’ (see References)
Blood particles can enter the bloodstream through wounds and sores or via the mouth, nose and eyes. Although the chances of infection are small, prevention is better. Preventing somebody else’s blood from entering your bloodstream is important. Blood may be infected with HIV, hepatitis B or hepatitis C. Fortunately, there are simple measures people can take to prevent another person’s blood entering their bloodstream. During some activities in a penal institution one should wear protection. For example, when having sex or doing certain types of cleaning, people should wear condoms and rubber gloves respectively. Precautions are necessary in the following situations:

Accidents or other situations where blood may flow

If somebody else’s blood accidentally enters a wound or sore (including inflamed skin, e.g. gums and eyes) on somebody else’s body, one can reduce the small risk by:

allowing the wound to keep bleeding
rinsing with water
disinfecting the wound with iodine

If a person gets blood in the mouth, nose or eyes, they should rinse the affected areas thoroughly with water and ask the medical service about additional procedures. One should then describe exactly what happened. The risk may be minimal. The doctor or nurse might recommend a vaccination against hepatitis B or post-exposure (anti-viral) prophylaxis.

Tattooing, piercing, taking intravenous drugs and blood brotherhood

These activities all involve piercing or cutting the skin. One person’s blood may enter another person’s bloodstream in the process.

Often tattooing and piercing are done with needles and other sharp objects used by someone else previously. Small quantities of blood may remain. Ideally, one should not re-use, but if you must, make sure you cleanse the items thoroughly before reusing them.

Syringes and injecting accessories are in short supply within the penal institution because they generally are always removed by the staff whenever they are discovered. Drug use is not allowed. Any available syringe within a prison has almost certainly been used by somebody else. Consequently, it is likely to contain blood particles that may be contaminated with HIV or hepatitis. Shooting drugs is therefore very risky. If you must inject in prison, make sure you cleanse the syringe and equipment thoroughly.

The ritual of blood brotherhood cannot be accomplished safely. One person’s blood will always enter the other person’s wound. Try to find a different way to bond.

5.4 Specifics of safer sex *7

Anal sex (butt-fucking) and vaginal sex (intercourse) are both risky activities implicated in HIV transmission. However, a good condom, used correctly, can greatly reduce your chances of infection, and not only from HIV but also from other sexual transmitted diseases.

Unprotected anal sex (butt-fucking without a condom).
This is the most risky type of intercourse for HIV and other STIs.
The lining of the anus is very fragile. Anal intercourse causes damage to the lining, allowing sperm that is infected with HIV or the hepatitis virus to enter the bloodstream. Other STIs, like gonorrhoea and chlamydia can also be transmitted through the mucous membrane.

A lot of people believe that only the person is being penetrated (the one who is being fucked) can be infected. This is not true. The man who is doing the penetrating can also get infected with HIV or another STI if the head of his penis comes into contact with a virus or a bacteria from the other person’s body.

Never have unprotected anal sex. You can make it safer by using an extra-strong condom together with a water-based lubricant. But even with a condom, anal sex is never completely safe, because the condoms can break or slide off.

Unprotected vaginal sex (fucking without a condom).
Fucking without a condom puts you at a high risk for getting infected with HIV or other STIs. If you already have venereal disease, the chances of becoming infected are even greater. What’s more, HIV survives in menstrual blood, so if you already have HIV (if you are seropositive), the possibility of passing it on to someone else is much higher while having your period.

So our advice is pretty clear: you should always use a condom when fucking.

Blow jobs (oral sex on a man, fellatio, giving head).
Many people have questions about whether oral sex is safe. The general advice is: if you don’t get sperm in your mouth, you won’t come in contact with HIV and other blood-borne virusses. The problem is that it is difficult to know exactly when a man is going to come. That’s why you should use a condom even for oral sex. This is especially important if you have sores in your mouth or if your gums bleed.

Using a condom will also protect you from other venereal diseases like gonorrhoea, chlamydia, and syphilis. It is almost impossible to get infected with HIV or any other blood-borne virusses from licking a man’s balls or around the anus. Just look out for scratches or sores (to avoid blood contact), and try to avoid contact with faeces (shit). You won’t get AIDS from it (unless it contains blood), but you can get nasty intestinal infections and diseases.

Cunnilingus (oral sex on a woman, licking)
Even if a women is infected with HIV or hepatitis C, there is only a tiny amount of the virus in her vaginal fluid. Therefore the chances of getting infected by ‘going down’ on a woman are very slight. If she is having her period, oral sex becomes riskier, because contact with her menstrual blood can pass on HIV or other blood-borne virusses. We recommend against going down on a woman just before, during, or just after her period. Herpes and pubic lice can also be transmitted by oral sex. If a woman has blisters, sores or scabs on or around her vagina or her mouth (like cold sores), you should avoid going down on her or letting someone go down on you.

If you want to be completely safe, use a barrier material that is similar to a ‘dental dam’, which should be held over the lips of the vagina during oral sex.

Hand jobs (jacking off, beating off)
You can’t get infected with HIV or other blood-borne virusses from giving a hand job, because the virus cannot pass through healthy skin. If you have an open sore or blister on your hand, just put a plaster or band-aid over it and you will be safe.

Finger-fucking (in the anus or vagina)
Similarly, you can’t get a blood-borne virus from finger-fucking (in the vagina) or ‘fisting’ (in the anus), not even if the whole hand is put in. As we have already said before, the virus cannot enter the body through healthy skin. Nevertheless, fisting is more hygienic if you use a thin rubber glove. And be sure to use enough water-based lubricant to keep from damaging the inner lining of the anus while fisting.

Golden showers and defecation (piss and shit)
Urine (piss) and faeces (shit, poop) do not contain HIV and other blood-borne virusses. But urine or faeces can contain tiny amounts of blood from liver or kidney infections or from haemorrhoids. Those invisible drops of blood can expose you to HIV. Urine and faeces can also transmit sexually transmitted diseases, like gonorrhoea and they can produce severe intestinal infections such as hepatitis A if ingested.

You don’t have to worry if you get piss or shit on your hands or your skin, but avoid getting them in your nose, eyes, mouth, vagina or anus. All of these areas are lined with delicate skin (the mucous membrane). And don’t drink anyone else’s piss. Wash your hands and other contaminated skin with soap and water.

S/M (Sadomasochism)

As with everything. else, S/M can be safe or risky depending on what you do. Make sure that youdon’tt cause bleeding, because infected blood and sperm can enter the body more easily.

If you get blood on any equipment, wash it with soap andwater r and then soak for 10 minutes with a 70% alcohol solution (thisis s sold in pharmacies). If bleach is available, this will also do.

Sex toys (dildos, vibrators etc.).
There is a minimal chance that sex toys can transmit blood-borne virusses if you use them with several different partners. Try to use only your own personal sex toys, and clean them well withwater r and soap after use. If you do share your toys with others, use
them with a condom. If you are using a dildo for anal sex, thendon’tt put it in your vagina after it has been in your anus. This can
transfer bacteria from the anus to the vagina and cause nasty infections.

Massage
There is no problem if limited to external massage. Touching and rubbing are completely safe. If massage is combined with penetration, then the penetration is no safer than it would bewithout t massage so you must wear a condom.

French kissing (tongue kissing)
There are only tiny amounts of HIV and other blood-borne virusses in saliva (spit), so French kissing will not give you the AIDS virus. Kissing can give you herpes if your partner has cold sores, blisters or scabs on the mouth or lips.

Group sex (menage a  trois, trios, orgies)
Is group sex risky? That depends on what you do and who is in the group. If you plan on engaging in this, then do read thislist t over again to be sure ofwhat’ss safe andwhat’ss not. Be sure to use a NEW condom each time you have intercourse, and for each different partner. Make sure everybody agrees on the ground rules in advance and watch out for cheats!