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Comment by Bubble_Pop_22 | Hacker News Reader

Now we only need a vaccine against HIV and STDs in general and we can finally do away with condoms.

I can't remember the last time I talked to a gay man who wasn't on PrEP. It's arguable that in reasonably responsible circles, HIV these days poses little-to-no risk, even among sexually promiscuous people. And most other common STDs are completely curable. The big exception is herpes, the spread of which is not prevented by condoms.

Those HIV medicines tend to wane in efficacy, so they still end up dying much younger. It's not a solution, just an effective treatment.

You don't seem to understand what you are talking about. PrEP prevents the spread of HIV, it is not a medication to treat it.

> And most other common STDs are completely curable

So is the flu or COVID or the common cold, but they are inconveniences which can last for 20 days or more.

If a vaccine were to become availible then the inconvenience would be limited to the day of the shot.

Condoms can absolutely prevent the spread of herpes, it's just it can also spread by kissing/etc.

If a sore is outside of the area covered by a condom, a condom doesn't do anything. But I am reading that it is recommended to use condoms to prevent the spread of herpes generally, even without an outbreak.

I don't have the source to share, but I read that some types of STDs are more and more resistant to antibiotics, to the extent that they need combinations of multiple, last-instance antibiotics to cure it.

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