What is the link between STIs and HIV?
HIV and STIs are spread in the same ways. If you have some STIs, it is easier for you to become infected with HIV even if you do not have open sores or breaks in the skin. If the STI causes irritation of the skin, it may be easier for HIV to enter the body during sexual contact through breaks or sores. If your partner has ever had an STI, they are at increased risk of being infected with HIV. If a person who has HIV also has an STI, that person is more likely to pass HIV on to another person than someone who has HIV and no other STIs.
