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Is
there a link between HIV and other STIs?
Having a sexually transmitted infection can increase your risk of
acquiring and transmitting HIV. This is true whether you have open sores
or breaks in the skin (as with syphilis, herpes, chancroid) or not (as
with chlamydia and gonorrhea). Where there are breaks in the skin, HIV
can enter and exit the body more easily. Even when there are no breaks
in the skin, STIs can cause biological changes that may make HIV
transmission more likely. Studies show that HIV-infected individuals who
are infected with another STI are three to five times more likely to
contract or transmit the virus through sexual contact.
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