Prevention Of HIV Infection, What To Do?

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-07 17:49

Prevention of HIV infection

Human immunodeficiency virus is a widespread worldwide disease that poses a real threat not only to health, but also to human life. By the nature of the spread of HIV, it can be unambiguously compared with an epidemic. Although modern medicine is able to timely detect the disease and offer a person high-quality supportive therapy, it is much better to prevent the virus from entering the body, but in order to prevent this from happening, it is necessary to know the rules for preventing the disease.

Content:

• HIV postexposure prophylaxis
• Prevention of HIV at high risk of infection
• HIV and unprotected intercourse
• Living with an HIV-infected person
• Kiss with HIV infected
• HIV and swimming in ponds and pools

General rules for HIV prevention

Although almost everyone knows how to prevent HIV infection, it never hurts to remind you of these rules. If you follow them completely, then the risk of infection can be reduced to almost zero.

So, the rules for preventing HIV infection are as follows:

• A condom must be used with every intercourse. Moreover, the decision to live together with a sexual partner is not a reason to refuse a condom. It should be a mandatory addition to every sexual intercourse. You can refuse it on condition of negative HIV tests and if there is 100% confidence in the loyalty of the partner.

If during intercourse a couple uses a lubricant, then it is necessary to choose products specially designed for this purpose, which are water-based. The fact is that petroleum jelly-based lubricants can destroy the latex from which the condom is made, and its protective functions will be neutralized.

• Ideally, injecting drug use should be avoided. But, as a rule, if a person has a drug addiction, he is not able to leave his addiction. Therefore, there can be only one recommendation - to use disposable syringes and needles.

• If a man and a woman with a positive HIV status decide to have a child, then the pregnancy should be monitored by specialists. It is quite possible to give birth to a healthy baby, and the chances of this are very high (provided that all medical recommendations are followed). For this, a woman will need to take special drugs and refuse breastfeeding. In addition, more and more HIV-positive couples prefer in vitro fertilization, or purify sperm in the laboratory.
• All healthcare workers are required to follow the available instructions for sterilizing the equipment, and use disposable devices for injecting.

HIV postexposure prophylaxis

Post-exposure prophylaxis of HIV involves performing certain manipulations after a risky situation has occurred and there was a possibility of infection.

Prevention should be carried out no later than 72 hours after the incident. Although the optimal time is considered the first 24-36 hours.

For a month, a person will need to take drugs that can stop the development of the disease.

Features of post-exposure HIV prophylaxis:

• Medicines that can reduce the risk of infection are not available commercially. They are prescribed by a doctor and are available with a prescription.
• If before 2005 post-exposure prophylaxis of HIV with the help of drugs was available only under the condition of a professional risk of infection, now almost anyone can get drugs. For example, if we are talking about unprotected intercourse, a torn condom, etc.
• It is impossible to protect yourself from HIV 100% with the help of drugs. Nevertheless, experts say that the risk of infection with the timely administration of these funds is reduced to 25-30%. Therefore, using these drugs is more than advisable.
• It should be understood that such drugs are not magic pills for HIV, they are not emergency remedies. You will need to take them for a month. Very often the doctor prescribes 2 to 4 drugs at the same time.
• Postexposure prophylaxis drugs have side effects, so they are not suitable for everyone.

Considering the most common side effects that can occur after taking post-exposure prophylactic drugs, they are as follows:

• Severe headaches;
• Chronic fatigue;
• Nausea and vomiting.

The names of the drugs for PEP:

• Tenofovir (Viread) is taken once every 24 hours at a dosage of 300 mg.
• Raltegravir (Isentress) is taken 2 times every 24 hours at a dosage of 400 mg.
• Emtricitabine (Emtriva) is taken 200 mg once a day.

The dosage and combination of drugs must be adjusted by the doctor. To achieve the desired effect, the drugs must be taken for a month without a single pass and without dose reduction.

Prevention of HIV at high risk of infection

There are a lot of cases associated with the risk of infection, in which any person can be. Perhaps someone stepped on a syringe, someone had sex without a condom (violent intercourse is possible), someone is afraid to use public toilets, etc. Do not panic, as this is stupid. You just need to have reliable information about the possible risks of infection and the necessary measures to prevent infection.

HIV transmission and dirty syringe

If a person stepped on a dirty syringe, then you should not worry about infection with the immunodeficiency virus. It is known for certain that in the external environment the virus dies very quickly. However, the risk of infection with other serious diseases remains, so you should seek the advice of a specialist.

If there is a risk of HIV infection, then the first test should be done 6 weeks after the dangerous situation. Then the test will need to be repeated, after 3 months from a possible infection.

It should be understood that no washing of the injection site, no dressings or ointments with a disinfecting effect can save you from viral infection. All disinfecting or antibacterial drugs help only prevent the development of inflammation, but nothing more.

Prevention of unprotected intercourse

As a rule, there is a high risk of HIV infection through casual sexual contact with an unfamiliar person and through violent sexual acts. If a similar situation has happened, then you need to go to an appointment with an infectious disease doctor as soon as possible. Only a doctor can write a prescription for drugs for post-exposure prophylaxis of HIV. It is forbidden to independently correct medical prescriptions!

An ELISA test should be performed 6 weeks after risky intercourse. However, even a negative result is not a guarantee that infection has not occurred. The test will need to be performed again after 3 months.

An infectious disease doctor should be contacted no later than 2 days from the unprotected intercourse that happened. Only if this condition is met, post-exposure drugs will achieve the desired effect.

Living with an HIV-infected person

It should be remembered forever that the virus is not transmitted in everyday life, so living together with an infected person does not threaten anything. It is impossible to get infected through dishes, through the use of shared bedding, through a washcloth or soap. For infection to occur, contact of biological fluids of a healthy and sick person is necessary.

However, certain precautions must be taken. For example, it is important to exclude any body fluids from an infected person getting on an open wound of a healthy person.

If disturbing thoughts persist, then every 3 months you can check for infection at the AIDS Center.

Prevention of kissing with HIV

The virus cannot be transmitted through kissing. However, most people fear infection due to possible sores, abrasions, or carious teeth in the mouth. Experts unequivocally state that the risk of infection during a kiss is possible when both partners have severe bleeding wounds in the mouth, and the kiss itself was very deep. In addition, it is necessary that the concentration of the virus in the patient's blood is off scale.

Thus, we can conclude that kissing an HIV-infected person is not dangerous.

Prevention of HIV when swimming in water

There is no risk of infection when sharing swimming pools and reservoirs with HIV-infected people. It has been proven that the virus dies very quickly in water, so even if an infected person has bleeding wounds and swims in a pool, infection will not occur. And it doesn't matter that there will be 1 or 100 people with HIV infection in the reservoir and only one healthy person.

However, unprotected intercourse in water is not a guarantee that infection will not occur. Risks remain, and at a fairly high level.

HIV is an incurable disease, so you need to know and clearly follow all preventive measures to prevent infection. If an unforeseen situation occurs, you should not hesitate to contact an infectious disease specialist. Only a doctor can offer effective medications aimed at reducing the risk of infection.

However, you should not be afraid of all situations indiscriminately, since panic is not the most reliable companion. For example, you can not give up salon procedures, the virus is not transmitted through sterile manicure instruments, and the masters process them before each procedure and that is enough.

Doctors unequivocally point out that infection with a virus in everyday life is impossible, since it is absolutely unstable in the external environment. However, one must be careful and vigilant. Thus, by following the rules of HIV prevention, you can prevent infection for sure.

Author of the article: Alekseeva Maria Yurievna | Therapist

Education: From 2010 to 2016 Practitioner of the therapeutic hospital of the central medical-sanitary unit No. 21, city of elektrostal. Since 2016 she has been working in the diagnostic center No. 3.