31.6.1  The link between STIs and HIV/AIDS

Certain STIs facilitate the spread of HIV. The following three points generally describe the relationship between HIV and other STIs:

• Certain STIs facilitate the transmission of HIV through the small cuts and inflammations they cause around the genitalia.
• The presence of HIV can make people more susceptible to the transmission of STIs. This is because HIV weakens the immunity that can protect us from other infections like STIs.
• The presence of HIV increases the severity of some STIs and makes them more difficult to treat than in HIV-negative individuals. This is also related to the poor immunity of PLHIV.