How can a trans person be careful against catching STIs ?
I use condoms to keep myself safe but are there other ways? Dr Camiel Welling discusses various protective measures.
What else can I use for protection?
Protection also depends on the availability in countries. Condom is the most common form of protection. If you use lubrication then you won’t get wounds. A lot of countries have vaccinations for diseases that could be STDs like Hepatitis B. If there are free STD check-up camps where you could get tested for chlamydia, gonorrhoea, hepatitis and HIV tests. So these free tests can give you the security that whatever I have done till now has not given me an STI or if it has happened then I can get treatment now. In a few countries, PrEP is available- PrEP is Pre Exposure Prophylaxis’ short form. This is like a pill with which HIV can be prevented. This is growing and starting in many places because there are many treatments for HIV. But it cannot be cured. Good treatment can ensure that we can stay okay till old age. Good treatment helps many people to stay well till old age. But it is a chronic illness. But even now people struggle with the stigma of HIV. But this is a new development in the last 5 years. So if it is available, it is important to use it. So use condoms, and good lubrication and get tested when available.
A good development in HIV treatment is that it has become impossible for you to give other people HIV. So you can only give someone HIV when you are not in treatment. So you need to get tested and get treatment. It is not fun to take a tablet every day but it is a chronic illness. And if you get treatment then you cannot infect others. And if you don’t have HIV then you can tell people that you got tested. And if PrEP is available then it will be good for you to stay protected.
What about PrEP in India?
In India, vaccinations are available for Hepatitis B, and they cost 100 rupees. You can get it in any hospital, talk to the doctor and tell them that you want a Hepatitis B vaccine- which is about one euro\ 100rs . And for testing, you can go to your local CCC and you can get a free test there. The STD tests available are for HIV, syphilis and Hepatitis B. So there are 3 tests available for free. And there is a vaccine available for HPV in India but it is not free. It is a little costly. There is a four-variant vaccine which costs 4.5k and a nine-variant which comes for 11 to 13k. So HPV has different variants which do different things. And PrEP is available in Indian organisations like Colour Positive. And PrEP costs from 400 to 700 every month.
