There is zero evidence you can catch HIV from sucking or getting sucked, says Jeffrey Klausner, director of STD Prevention and Control Services for the San Francisco Department of Public Health.
Klausner laid out his conclusions in recent online chats with users of the Gay.com Web site.
'The truth from the University of California San Francisco and the San Francisco Department of Public Health is that the risk of transmission of HIV via oral sex is very, very, very, very, very low and may be zero,' Klausner wrote.
'Other sources of information in the U.K. and elsewhere are not based on sound epidemiological data. ... We recently completed a study of men in San Francisco who have only had oral sex and found zero new HIV infections. ... In terms of HIV, oral sex both ways is very, very safe.'
Klausner noted that 'saliva has natural anti-HIV factors' and said sucking remains safe even if you have a sore in your mouth or a sore throat.
'There are no data that show that bleeding gums, sore throats, bad teeth or mouth sores actually increase the risk of transmission,' Klausner said. 'For years, either we have not had data or had bad data. Now, reliable data shows the risk of HIV from oral sex is either zero or very, very low.'
Gay men should have as much oral sex as they want, he said.
'My advice is: Enjoy oral sex and get regular check-ups,' he said. 'A good check-up includes throat testing for gonorrhea, rectal testing for gonorrhea and chlamydia, urine testing for gonorrhea and chlamydia and blood tests for herpes, syphilis and HIV.
'DEMAND these tests from your doctor, clinic or health department,' Klausner stressed. 'These tests are out there and essential to maintaining good sexual health.'The online chats, sponsored by the city health department and Internet Sexuality Information Services, take place in Gay.com's Special Events Forum on the first and third Thursdays of the month from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. California time.