HIV risk is evident in pretty much any kind of sexual exposure, but unprotected anal sex has the highest risk of potential transmission of the disease. The recieving partner of anal sex has about a 1.4 percent risk of infection, compared to about a 0.08 percent risk with receptive vaginal. This is mainly due to the fragile and porous tissue in the rectum, and the high viral load of semen and pre-seminal fluid…

“Condoms are a great way to prevent STIs and HIV during all kinds of sex, including anal, vaginal, and oral,” says Julia Bennett, the director of digital education and learning strategy at Planned Parenthood. “This announcement gives people and communities another option when it comes to safer sex, which is always a good thing.”

While HIV infections have been falling steadily, including an 8 percent drop between 2015 and 2019, other STIs have been on the rise, making 2019 the sixth year in a row of rising cases. In that same time frame, rates of syphilis in newborn children have quadrupled, and people of color are still disproportionately affected. Additionally, gay and bisexual men accounted for around half of all primary and secondary syphilis cases in 2019.