Name: Moira Cronje
Date: 21 June 2011
What is HIV / Aids?
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a lentivirus (a member of the retrovirus family) that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive.
How does it work? Every human has anti-bodies and white blood cells that builds up their immune system. The virus called HIV attacks these cells and uses them as hosts to replicate and build in numbers. By using these cells as hosts they are eaten from the inside by the replicas and the cell dies. The immune system is therefore broken down and as soon as another virus or strong bacteria gets into the body, the immune system is not strong enough to fight it off and the person dies in a certain period of time.
Window period: The window period is the period between the onset of HIV infection and the appearance of detectable antibodies to the virus. In the case of the most sensitive HIV antibody tests currently recommended, the window period is about three to four weeks. This period can, however, be longer. Any antibody-based blood tests (such as the ELISA, rapid tests and the Western Blot) conducted during this window period may give false negative results. Antibodies are produced from about three weeks after infection and usually become detectable by four to six weeks after infection. This four- to six-week period between infection and a positive test is called the window period. Tests most commonly used to diagnose HIV infection are those that detect HIV antibodies. Two of the best-known HIV antibody tests are the ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) and the Western Blot tests.
Does HIV have any symptoms?
Some people experience a flu-like illness, develop a rash, or get swollen glands for a brief period soon after they become infected with HIV. However, these are also common symptoms of other less serious illnesses, and do not necessarily mean that a person has HIV.
Often people who are infected with HIV don't have any symptoms at all. It is important to remember that a person who has HIV can pass on the virus immediately after becoming infected, even if they feel healthy. It's not possible to tell just by looking if someone has been infected with HIV. The only way to know for certain if someone is infected with HIV is for them to be tested.
VCT : Voluntary Counseling and Testing
VCT is when a person chooses to undergo HIV/AIDS counseling so that they can make an informed decision about whether to be tested for HIV. The government is encouraging all of us to come forward to be tested for HIV. It believes that if many of us get tested, even though we may not be sick, this will help to lessen the amount of stigma associated with the HIV test.
If infected :
Infected persons can still work and go about their daily lives. Although they need to be cautious when they work because if they get hurt and they bleed no one must touch the blood without gloves. This goes for any human being because you can never be too careful when it comes to someone else’s blood. Infected people are no different to others when it comes to work however they do need to adjust their lifestyle so they get enough exercise and they need to eat healthy to try and boost their immune system so they don’t get sick.
In the field of HIV/AIDS, the role of counselor is demanded when health care personnel are required to inform a patient of their HIV status. Conveying such status alone is not sufficient. It is also important to discuss things such as protecting current and future sexual partners and unborn babies, and high-risk behaviors. It is crucial to equip patients with knowledge about their disease.
Stages of HIV:
STAGE 1: Primary HIV infection
This stage of infection lasts for a few weeks and is often accompanied by a short flu-like illness. In up to about 20% of people the HIV symptoms are serious enough to consult a doctor, but the diagnosis of HIV infection is frequently missed. During this stage there is a large amount of HIV in the peripheral blood and the immune system begins to respond to the virus by producing HIV antibodies and cytotoxic lymphocytes.STAGE 2 : Clinically asymptomatic stage
This stage lasts for an average of ten years and, as its name suggests, is free from major symptoms, although there may be swollen glands. The level of HIV in the peripheral blood drops to very low levels but people remain infectious and HIV antibodies are detectable in the blood, so antibody tests will show a positive result.STAGE 3 : Symptomatic HIV infection
Over time the immune system becomes severely damaged by HIV. This is thought to happen for three main reasons:- The lymph nodes and tissues become damaged or 'burnt out' because of the years of activity;
- HIV mutates and becomes more pathogenic, in other words stronger and more varied, leading to more T helper cell destruction;
- The body fails to keep up with replacing the T helper cells that are lost.
STAGE 4 : Progression from HIV to AIDS
As the immune system becomes more and more damaged the individual may develop increasingly severe opportunistic infections and cancers, leading eventually to an AIDS diagnosis and if not helped, death.Cost of HIV medication 2009:
Cost per month | |
Crixivan | $570.96 |
Emtriva | $347.11 |
Epivir 300mg | $347.11 |
Kaletra | $796.26 |
Retrovir | $405.59 |
Viramune | $442.45 |
Ziagen | $466.44 |
These drugs may be expensive but it is still possible to prolong your life by eating healthy and doing enough exercise. There are places that sell the same medication for cheaper to accommodate the poor, some of them are just duplicates and have other names. Therefore the ingredients need to be checked to make sure that it’s not a rip off.
Ways of paying:
Private health insurance
Medicaid and Medicare
AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAP)
State or community assistance programs
How does it spread?
Infection with HIV occurs by the transfer of blood, semen, vaginal fluid, pre-ejaculate, or breast milk. Within these bodily fluids, HIV is present as both free virus particles and virus within infected immune cells. The four major routes of transmission are unsafe sex, contaminated needles, breast milk, and transmission from an infected mother to her baby at birth (perinatal transmission). Screening of blood products for HIV has largely eliminated transmission through blood transfusions or infected blood products in the developed world. Sex is the most common way in which the virus will spread.
Mother with HIV:
If a pregnant woman is infected with HIV, she can transmit the virus to her baby during pregnancy, labor and delivery, or breastfeeding. Without treatment, around 15-30 % of babies born to HIV-infected women will become infected with HIV during pregnancy and delivery. A further 5-20% will become infected through breastfeeding. This pregnant woman or girl can still infect a partner when having unprotected sex. If she is not infected and she engages in unprotected sex she can get infected and her baby will suffer from AIDS as well.
Prophylactic antiretroviral therapy with AZT (zidovudine; Retrovir), nevirapine (Viramune), or combination HAART for the mother during pregnancy and delivery, plus treatment of the baby for 6 months after birth, has dramatically reduced the rate of mother-to-child transmission. Now, studies presented at the recent 15th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Boston have demonstrated that longer treatment of mothers and infants while breast-feeding can further lower the risk of HIV transmission.
Drug abuse leading to HIV:
Drug use is a major factor in the spread of HIV infection. Shared equipment for using drugs can carry HIV and hepatitis, and drug use is linked with unsafe sexual activity. Drug and alcohol use can also be dangerous for people who are taking antiretroviral medications (ARVs). Drug users are less likely to take all of their medications, and street drugs may have dangerous interactions with ARVs. Infected blood can be drawn up into a syringe and then get injected along with the drug by the next user of the syringe. This is the easiest way to transmit HIV during drug use because infected blood goes directly into someone’s bloodstream.
To reduce the risk of HIV and hepatitis infection, never share any equipment used with drugs, and keep washing your hands. Carefully clean your cookers and the site you will use for injection. Abstinence is key and stay away from drugs then it won’t happen to you.
Precautions in S.A:
The World Health Organization (WHO) outlines a number of recommendations which countries should follow to maintain a safe and constant blood supply. These steps prevent transfusion-transmissible infections (TTI), which include HIV-1, HIV-2, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and syphilis, passing from a blood donor to the recipient of a blood transfusion. According to the recommendations countries need:
- A nationally coordinated blood transfusion service
- Voluntary unpaid donors
- To test all donated blood
- To use blood efficiently and appropriately
- To ensure a safe transfusion practice
- To have a quality systems check throughout the blood transfusion process.
Human behavior VS HIV:
We as humans need to relax and enjoy life every once in a while but we tend to take that too far. By drinking and doing drugs we are not in a good state to think properly and so people tend to have sex. This can be protected sex but most of the time it is not because girls are raped or teenagers make impulsive decisions. This can lead to the spreading of HIV and aids therefore we need to get tested as soon as possible.
The best way to avoid HIV is to not have sexual intercourse. If that is not possible condoms can be used, they are not 100% safe because they still do let semen through but they are much safer than having unprotected sex. A high risk behavior would be considered unprotected sex and sharing needles. Medium risk would be using a condom because you are protected but you can still get infected. And low risk behavior is not having sex at all and not sharing any needles as well as not touching anyone’s blood even if you want to help them.
When in the workplace and you are infected you need to be careful in terms of injuries and blood related situations. You also need to eat healthy and exercise to keep healthy so you can keep working and get an income to look after yourself. If you get hurt it is your duty to let the people that want to help you know that you are HIV+ so they can know they need to be careful because one wrong move from their side and they could get infected spreading the global problem.
When you are working with an infected person there is no reason not to have a healthy working relationship. Myths about HIV like not drinking out of the same cup or not giving each other hugs can disturb the peace but they are not true and need to be looked over. You can use the same toilet seat and you may kiss. The only way to transmit the virus is through bodily fluids and blood.
As infected employees become ill they will take additional sick leave and this will disrupt operational activities. It is estimated that the costs to a manufacturing company could increase. This disruption will be amplified when more qualified and experienced employees are absent, as finding a temporary replacement becomes more difficult.
What is the link between STDs and HIV infection?
Individuals who are infected with STDs are at least two to five times more likely than uninfected individuals to acquire HIV infection if they are exposed to the virus through sexual contact. In addition, if an HIV-infected individual is also infected with another STD, that person is more likely to transmit HIV through sexual contact than other HIV-infected persons (Wasserheit, 1992).
STD treatment reduces an individual's ability to transmit HIV. Studies have shown that treating STDs in HIV-infected individuals decreases both the amount of HIV in genital secretions and how frequently HIV is found in those secretions (Fleming, Wasserheit, 1999).
Guidelines and assistance in the workplace when infected with HIV:
The Department of Labor and the Commission for Employment Equity, in association with the Department of Health and the International Labor Organization (ILO), have recognized the need to assist employers, employees and trade unions in the management of HIV/AIDS in the workplace. The Technical Assistance Guidelines (TAG) presented in this document provides implementation guidelines for employers, employees and trade unions on how to respond to the scourge of HIV/AIDS and its impact in the workplace.
A company policy in HIV:
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this policy is to provide clarity on TOTAL's views and commitments with regard to HIV/AIDS and the comprehensive management of HIV positive employees and employees living with AIDS. The Policy is also aimed at focusing on aspects of HIV/AIDS which, if not carefully addressed may impact negatively on TOTAL'S business and/or the well being of its employees. TOTAL recognizes the seriousness and implications of HIV/AIDS for the individual employee, as well as co-workers of affected individuals.
Total South Africa (Proprietary) Limited and its subsidiary companies based in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland ("TOTAL"), acknowledges the seriousness of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and seeks to minimize the social, economic and developmental consequences to the company and its employees through comprehensive, proactive HIV/AIDS workplace programs, therefore committing itself to providing leadership in implementing such programs. TOTAL is fully committed to protect its employees, create awareness, encourage behavior changes where necessary as well as ensure that all employees are treated with the necessary dignity, fairness and equality.
In this policy they acknowledge the fact that HIV is something that cannot be avoided and that the people that are infected will not be forced to take a test. If they willingly tell the management that information will be confidential.
Problems that HIV+ persons have to deal with in the workplace:
The first and biggest problem is confidentiality. If someone knows about your status they can and probably will pass it on to another person, and before you know it the whole firm is scared of you. Other than that it comes to sick leave that will definitely increase because you will experience those off days where you just can’t get out of bed. The medical benefits that you have or do not have will have to be adjusted to fit your new medical needs. You will need to check your health regularly at the doctor and be sure that you don’t get hurt at the workplace.
Counseling will be a good route to take if infected so you know that you are not alone and that everything will be okay. They can also give you tips on how to cope and what medication to take. If you think you are infected it is the best to take a test and if you are infected you can get more information on the internet as to how to go on with your life and what steps to take. You can also join a help program that will support you during those tough times. Magazines, books and the internet can help you on information about this virus.
Treatment options available:
HIV medications are almost always used in combination. The recommended treatment for HIV is a combination of three or more meds from at least two different classes in a treatment regimen called Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy or HAART. By using meds from more than one class, you can fight HIV at different stages of its replication.
There are four different classes of HIV meds:
· Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), also called "nukes"
· Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs), also called "non-nukes"
· Protease inhibitors (PIs)
· Fusion inhibitors (FIs), also called "entry" inhibitors
“I was able to attend a support group session. I found the experience wonderful. I was surprised at how deep the talking was. It showed me that people accept who they are in a positive way. They were speaking openly, not ashamed, caring for each other – both men and women. The message was that having AIDS is not a death sentence; here (in the support group) you will learn to cope.”
KK Administrator assistant
At 21.5%, the HIV prevalence rate in South Africa is one of the highest in the world, with an estimated 1,429 new infections every day. The number of children orphaned by AIDS is set to grow to 1.7 million by 2010. South Africa has made progress in terms of improving access to ARVs: there are currently over 350,000 people on ARV treatment in the South African public health system, which was only introduced in 2004, while approximately 100,000 people receive treatment through the private sector.
All health care workers are under ethical and legal duties to protect the health and safety of their patients. Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, and associated regulations, such as the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002, health care workers who are employees have a legal duty to take reasonable care for the health and safety of themselves and of others, such as colleagues and patients, and to co-operate with their employer in health and safety matters.
The policy is a framework for action by Government, employers and workers to deal effectively with HIV at the workplace. It proposes to guide workers and employers and assist in the development of a caring, supportive and responsible working environment that will protect all workers. Surveillance data from the National HIV/STI Programme shows a national prevalence of 1.5 per cent, with 12,063 persons reported with AIDS between January 1982 and June 2007.
Charles said that if not controlled, the spread of HIV will impose huge costs on companies through decline in productivity, loss of skills and experience.
An 'orphan' is defined by the United Nations as a child who has 'lost one or both parents'. Worldwide, it is estimated that more than 16 million children under 18 have been orphaned by AIDS.
When a person is diagnosed with HIV it is crucial that they obtain some kind of income to look after themselves and their family. If the infected person dies and the family has nothing to live with they will surely suffer, that’s why the main bread winner needs to be healthy.
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