Ask the Doctor
With Dr. Paul Semugoma

Dear Doctor,
You were asked about transmission of STDs when virgins have sex. You replied, “If both partners have been virgins, then there is no STD. The bleeding will not lead to transmission of disease.”I think this is not correct. One may be a virgin but got HIV from the mother. So this virgin can transmit HIV during unprotected sex.
Moses Mugisha

Dear Moses,
YES, it is true a child can be born with a sexually transmitted disease , or get it from the mother after birth. It occurs with HIV, Hepatitis B virus and syphilis. They are chronic (long term) diseases. A person with them may be without symptoms.

With treatment, children born with HIV grow to adulthood. And they can still have babies free from HIV. So, in the case of two virgins, if one of them is infected, and they have unprotected sex, then the other is at risk.

This means even if we are sure of ourselves and partners as virgins, it is still important to know our HIV status by doing the HIV test. If we do not know or doubt the status, we should use condoms, and other methods of safe sex.

Thank you for the clarification, Moses. I hope you will pardon my oversight.