Prevention of HIV infection

Like other diseases, the human immunodeficiency virus is better prevented than treated later. Indeed, at the moment, unfortunately, the medicine for this disease has not been invented, which makes it possible to cure completely. Therefore, it is important to know all the existing methods and basic measures to prevent HIV infection.

HIV infection: transmission routes and prevention measures in the population

Known methods of infection:

1. The blood of an infected person enters the blood of a healthy person.
2. Unprotected sex.
3. From an infected mother to an infant (inside the womb, during labor or breastfeeding).

The first way of transfer is more widespread among workers of the medical sphere, because they most of the time come into contact with the blood of patients.

It should be noted that unprotected sex also means anal and oral types of sexual contact. At the same time, women are more at risk of infection than men, because a large number of semen with a concentrated content of viral cells enter the female body.

When HIV is transmitted from mother to child, the fetus becomes infected approximately at the 8-10th week of pregnancy. If the infection has not occurred, the probability of infection during labor is very high due to the contact of the mother and the baby.

Methods of preventing HIV infection:

1. Information messages. The more often the media warns about the risk of infection, the more people will think about it, especially the youth. Special efforts should be directed to the promotion of healthy lifestyles and inter-sex relations, the abandonment of drugs.
2. Barrier contraception. To date, a condom provides more than 90% protection against the ingress of genital fluids into the human body. Therefore, you should always have barrier means of contraception.
3. Sterilization. Infected women are not recommended to have children, since the risk of transmission of the virus to the baby is very high and doctors can not always save it from infection. Therefore it is desirable that a woman with HIV consciously went to such a serious step and refused to continue the family.

Prevention of occupational HIV infection among health workers

Doctors and nurses, as well as laboratory workers, inevitably come into contact with the biological fluids of patients (lymph, blood, genital secretions and others). Especially relevant is the prevention of HIV infection in surgery and dentistry, tk. in these departments the greatest number of operations occur and the risk of infection is increased.

Measures taken:

• the safest possible equipping the workplace when working with blood samples, instruments;
• use convenient and thoroughly disinfected medical devices;
• work only in disposable rubber gloves;
• when skin wounds, abrasions or ulcers appear on the skin, seal the damaged areas with adhesive plaster;
• Use protective clothing and other personal protective equipment;
• Dirty linen and waste with biological fluids should be sorted in a special room, wearing a robe, gloves and mask;
• when situations that pose a risk of infection (cut, puncture gloves, blood on mucous membranes, etc.) need to squeeze out blood from the wound and treat the affected tissue with an antiseptic solution;
• if the risk of transmission of the disease is greatly increased, post-exposure prophylaxis of HIV infection is carried out. It involves taking antiretroviral drugs that are used to treat HIV. Such prophylaxis should be started within the first 24 hours after infection, and no later than 72 hours later. Take medication is necessary within 4 weeks.