Can’t HIV pass through condoms? Why use them if they don’t even work to prevent sexually transmitted infections?
The virus is embedded in blood, semen, or vaginal fluids, none of which can get through an intact condom. Condoms offer the best protection against sexually transmitted infections for sexually active people and they protect against unintended pregnancy.
Latex condoms offer very good protection against HIV making the risk of HIV transmission with a condom reduced by as much as 10,000 times. They also reduce the risk of other sexually transmitted infections, including chlamydia, gonorrhea, herpes, HPV (human papilloma virus), PID (pelvic inflammatory disease), syphilis, and trichomoniasis.