High risk groups for HIV infection. HIV-infected blood enters the blood of another person in different ways
Issues of infectious safety
HIV infection.
HIV infection This slow anthroponotic disease caused by human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV-1, HIV-2) is characterized by suppression of the human immune system and leads to the death of the patient from opportunistic infections, specific lesions of organs and systems.
The causative agent - human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) belong to the family of RNA-containing retroviruses. They contain a specific enzyme - "reverse transcriptase". HIV is unstable in the external environment. Heating the virus to 60 degrees leads to its death within 40 minutes. HIV does not tolerate drying out. The virus is able to be filtered through the placenta. In humans, the virus infects CD-4 lymphocytes. HIV is found in almost all biological fluids of the human body, but in different concentrations. Given that the infectious dose (the amount of virus capable of causing disease) for HIV is high, all body fluids were conditionally divided into three groups:
Group 1 - dangerous fluids: cerebrospinal fluid, blood, semen, vaginal and anal secretions, breast milk, lymph, ascitic fluid, amniotic fluid, pericardial fluid, synovial fluid;
Group 2 - moderately hazardous fluids: most body fluids;
Group 3 - non-hazardous liquids: sweat, saliva, tears, urine, vomit.
These liquids in their pure form, ie. without blood impurities, they do not matter in the transmission of HIV infection.
The source of infection is a sick person in all stages of the disease. A person becomes a source of infection almost 3 days after infection.
It must be remembered that HIV infection is characterized by the presence of a “seronegative window”.
The "seronegative window" is the period of time when the amount of virus contained in the biological material is sufficient to cause infection of the partner, but not enough to obtain a positive result of laboratory diagnostics. On average, the duration of the "seronegative window" with the current level of laboratory diagnostics is about 3 weeks.
Mechanisms and ways of transmission of HIV infection:
- contact mechanism - sexual, perinatal (during childbirth and breastfeeding);
- vertical mechanism - transplacental;
- artifactual mechanism - blood transfusion, parenteral.
With HIV infection, the population groups most susceptible to infection due to certain reasons related to lifestyle and work characteristics are distinguished.
Risk groups for HIV infection:
1. Socio-behavioral risk group:
Persons with promiscuous sexual relations;
Commercial sex workers;
Persons according to the UIN system.
Employees of AIDS diagnostic laboratories;
Employees caring for patients with HIV infection;
Employees performing any invasive procedures;
Personnel in contact with biological material.
3. Recipients of organs and tissues (including recipients of blood and sperm).
4. Persons living with HIV-infected people.
5.Children born to HIV-infected mothers.
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High-risk groups for HIV infection
The risk of contracting HIV is high among intravenous drug users, commercial sex workers, and men who have sex with men. The number of people infected through sexual contact with representatives of these groups is growing.
High-risk contingents of HIV infection include persons providing sex services, practicing unprotected sex, especially men with men, persons who have professional contact with the blood and other biosubstrates of HIV-infected patients. The number of cases of infection of people from a socially prosperous environment is growing: women who have become infected from their husbands, adolescents who have first sexual contact and even single episodes of intravenous non-medical drug use. Risk groups for HIV infection are also children born to HIV-infected mothers.
Risk factors
In the very first years of the spread of HIV infection, risk groups were determined: men who have sex with men, injecting drug users in cases of parenteral drug administration, commercial sex workers and people with diseases that require frequent repeated administration of blood and its preparations, in particular patients hemophilia. As the pandemic has evolved, the human immunodeficiency virus has become increasingly infiltrated into the general population.
Danger of infection
The likelihood of HIV infection occurs in the following situations:
- in contact with the patient's blood HIV-infected blood enters the blood of another person through parenteral drug use;
- when sharing needles, syringes and other materials for intravenous drug administration;
- in case of contact with the pathogen from an HIV-infected mother to her baby during pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding.
—
upon contact with semen, vaginal secretions of a sick person
This can happen during intercourse without using a condom. A small sore in the vagina, rectum, oral mucosa or genitals is enough for HIV infection to occur if sexual intercourse occurs without a condom.
The danger of infection arises only through contact with infected blood, semen, vaginal secretions and mother's milk. In urine, feces, vomit, saliva, tears and sweat, HIV is also present, but in such small quantities that there is no danger of infection. The only exception is if visible blood is found in the above human secretions. HIV infection cannot be contracted by touching, shaking hands, kissing, massage, staying in the same bed together, using the same bed linen, drinking from the same glass. You also can't get infected through a toilet seat, coughing, sneezing, or mosquito bite.
High risk groups
The following groups are at higher risk of contracting HIV infection:
- men who have sex with men
- injecting drug users,
- commercial sex workers
- people who practice anal sex,
- persons suffering from sexually transmitted infections,
- children born from HIV-infected mothers,
- medical workers who provide assistance to patients with HIV infection in case of non-compliance with safety precautions during manipulations.
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AIDS risk groups
Approximately 3/4 patients AIDS is contracted through sexual intercourse, mostly homosexual. Homosexuals, especially "passive" ones, constitute the first risk group. The virus contained in the semen, when it is poured into the rectum, can penetrate into the intestines and then, probably, through the damaged mucous membrane into the blood.
Second The largest risk group is drug addicts who use common non-sterile needles and syringes for intravenous administration of drugs. Their percentage in the structure of AIDS incidence varies in different countries from II to 17. Let us note in passing that many people belong to both groups simultaneously, i. homosexuals and drug addicts. The average age of drug addicts with AIDS (among them 20% women) is approximately the same as in the group of homosexuals - 33 years.
Third group - patients with hemophilia, which, as you know, suffer from males.
Fourth group - children born from mothers infected with HIV. Infection occurs transplantentally or when passing through the birth canal; the possibility of infection through human milk has already been mentioned.
However, HIV infection has long gone beyond these traditional risk groups and poses a threat to all of humanity. The ultra-fast spread of AIDS is now of particular concern. As of June 1, 1989, more than 157 thousand AIDS patients and about 10 million infected were registered in 149 countries of the world.
One of the ways of infection of the population on a large scale is the transfusion of blood and its components. In different countries of Europe, from 1.4 to 20.5% of AIDS patients became infected in this way, on average in Europe - 6%, in the USA - 2%. The average age of patients in this group is 54 years; men and women get AIDS equally often.
It has now been proven that blood plasma and preparations prepared from it can be safely neutralized by inactivating HIV. Remain dangerous preparations of cellular forms - erythrocyte mass, leukocytes, platelets, as well as bone marrow from infected donors.
HIV infection can be transmitted through various organ transplants and artificial insemination of women. This circumstance increases the risk of the spread of the virus, as both organ transplantation and artificial insemination have become widespread.
Unfortunately, not only drug addicts, but also doctors continue to use common syringes, and due to criminal laziness, sometimes, instead of sterilizing them, they are limited to just changing needles. Under such circumstances, outbreaks of nosocomial endemic HIV infection are possible. An example of this is the tragedy in children's hospitals in Elista and Volgograd, where several dozen children were infected in this way.
To date, the possibility of transmission of HIV by airborne droplets, through food products or in any other way possible through close everyday communication has not been proven. The assumption of transmission by blood-sucking insects, expressed by some researchers, was not confirmed by verification work in the USA and Africa.
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HIV high risk groups
As a result of epidemiological studies conducted in the United States, identified 5 risk groups for AIDS among adults:
— homosexual or bisexual men(over 50% of reported cases). This group also includes 5% of intravenous drug injectors. The transmission of AIDS among this category appears to be declining: in 2005, only 48% of new cases were due to homosexual contacts among men;
— drug addicts(intravenous route of drug administration) who did not have homosexual contacts (20% of those infected);
— patients with hemophilia who received large amounts of factor VIII or factor IX concentrates prior to 1985 (0.5% of all cases);
— recipients of blood or its components who do not suffer from hemophilia, but who have received HIV-infected whole blood or its components (platelets, plasma). The number of such persons is 1% (the organs of HIV-infected donors are also capable of carrying AIDS);
— people who have heterosexual contacts with members of other high-risk groups (mostly intravenous drug users), make up 10% of the AIDS population. In 2005, 30% of new cases were due to heterosexual intercourse. This group of infected people is growing most rapidly, especially at the expense of women; in sub-Saharan Africa, where there are 10,000 new infections per day, more than 50% of infected individuals are women.
In 5% of cases, risk factors cannot be identified.
Completely different AIDS epidemiology in children under 13 years of age. Almost 2% of all AIDS cases occur in this population of children. Data for 2006 indicate that 500,000 new AIDS cases and almost 400,000 deaths from it worldwide are children of this age group. In this group, the vast majority of children are infected due to transmission of the virus from the mother.
So the transfer HIV occurs under conditions conducive to the exchange of blood or body fluids containing the virus or virus-infected cells. Three main routes of HIV transmission have been established - the sexual route, the parenteral route, and the transfer of the virus from an infected mother to her newborn child.
Sexual transmission of HIV in all countries is predominant (more than 75% of all cases). In the US, the majority of infected individuals are male homosexuals. The virus is carried by semen and enters the recipient's body through abrasions of the mucous membrane of the rectum or oral cavity, or as a result of direct contact with the cells lining the mucous membrane. The transmission of the virus is carried out by 2 mechanisms:
(1) direct inoculation into blood vessels damaged by trauma;
(2) infection of dendritic cells or CD4+ cells in the mucosa.
Heterosexual transmission, originally of lesser importance in HIV infection in the US, has become a common mode of HIV transmission globally. In the past few years, even in the US, the frequency of heterosexual transmission has outpaced transmission by other means.
This distribution route is the most common in women having a sexual partner a male drug addict using intravenous drug injection. As a result, the number of women with AIDS is growing rapidly. In contrast to the United States, in Asia and Africa, the heterosexual route of HIV transmission predominates.
In addition to male-male transmission routes and man Woman there is evidence to support a female-male route of transmission. HIV is present in the vaginal secretions and cervical cells of infected women. In the US, this form of heterosexual transmission is 20 times less common than the male-to-female route. However, in Africa and certain regions of Asia, on the contrary, the risk of female-male transmission is much higher.
It is assumed that this situation is due to the simultaneous presence of another diseases sexually transmitted. All forms of sexual transmission of HIV are exacerbated by the presence of other sexually transmitted diseases, especially genital ulceration. In this regard, syphilis, cancroid and herpes are of particular importance. Other sexually transmitted diseases, including gonorrhea and chlamydia, also play a role as cofactors in HIV transmission.
Perhaps this is due to more high concentration of virus in areas of inflammation of the genitals, as well as virus-containing cells in the liquid environment of the genitals due to an increase in the number of inflammatory cells in the semen.
Parenteral route of HIV transmission possible in individuals of three groups: intravenous drug users; patients with hemophilia receiving factor VIII and factor IX concentrates; recipients for blood transfusion. The largest group is drug addicts. Transmission can occur through the use of needles, syringes and other supplies contaminated with blood containing HIV.
Transmission of HIV through blood transfusion or its products (factor VIII and factor IX freeze-dried concentrates) are now virtually non-existent due to the increasing use of recombinant coagulation factors, as well as the introduction of three measures:
(1) screening the blood and plasma of donors for the presence of antibodies to HIV;
(2) adherence to the purity criteria for factor VIII and factor IX preparations;
(3) screening for donor history data. However, there is a very small risk of AIDS as a result of transfusion of seronegative blood, because a newly infected individual may be antibody-negative. Currently, this risk is estimated at 1 in 2 million or more units of transfused blood. Since it is now possible to detect HIV-associated p24 antigens before the appearance of humoral antibodies, this risk is probably even less.
mother-child transmission route is the main cause of AIDS in children. Infected mothers can pass the infection to their children in three ways:
(1) by the transplacental route in utero;
(2) during childbirth through an infected birth canal;
(3) after birth through mother's milk. Of these modes, transmission during and immediately after childbirth is considered the most common in the United States. In different countries, the frequency of such transmission varies from 7 to 49%. A higher risk of transmission is associated with increased maternal viral load and low CD4+ T-cell counts, as well as cases of chorioamnionitis. Mother-to-child transmission has now been virtually eliminated with the introduction of antiretroviral therapy to infected pregnant women in the United States.
There is a problem spread of HIV infection among people who do not belong to any high-risk group. Extensive research has shown that HIV infection cannot be transmitted through casual personal contact at home, at work or at school. Transmission through insect bites is almost impossible. The risk of infection among healthcare workers is extremely low, but possible.
Seroconversion has been documented following accidental needle stick or contact of injured skin with infected blood in the laboratory. The risk of seroconversion after an accidental needle stick is considered to be 0.3% and antiretroviral therapy taken within 24-48 hours after a needle stick reduces the risk of infection by 8-fold. For comparison, we point out that after accidental contact with blood infected with the hepatitis B virus, 30% of individuals become seropositive.
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Groups at risk of HIV infection: what categories do they include?
HIV risk groups - this is information that everyone should know. With its help, you can protect yourself from this dangerous disease and warn your relatives and friends. Groups at risk of contracting HIV are people for whom the threat is great in view of their lifestyle, profession, and for a number of other reasons. Who is included in it?
AIDS: risk groups by professional activity
There are several professions whose representatives are at high risk of contracting the immunodeficiency virus. First of all, this applies to medical workers. And surgeons are the first to be at risk of contracting HIV infection. Representatives of this profession, specializing in abdominal operations, often risk their own health. The fact is that only planned patients are subject to mandatory testing for AIDS. Before the operation, or rather during its preparation, they take blood samples for antibodies to the virus. However, medical workers do not always have the opportunity to carry out such a check.
Often, patients are brought to the department already in a critical condition requiring urgent surgical intervention. In this case, surgeons observe increased security measures, since they are at risk of occupational HIV infection. But it is not always possible to protect yourself from infection in the body in this way. So, for example, a careless movement of a scalpel can cause a hand to get hurt even through two pairs of gloves, and the specialist will not have time to urgently treat the wound with alcohol. And there are many such examples.
The risk group for HIV infection is not only surgeons, but also medical workers who take or test blood. We are talking about nurses, employees of laboratories and donor centers. Careless handling of infected or possibly infected blood can also lead to the entry of the virus into the body.
Professional risk groups for HIV infection can also be supplemented by specialists in the field of venereology, urology and gynecology. These doctors do not work with blood, but with secretory fluid secreted from the genitals. And it, as you know, also contains virus cells. By the way, dentists also have a high risk of initiation. Indeed, with some professional manipulations, such specialists also deal with blood. And cells of the immunodeficiency virus can also be contained in the saliva of patients. Therefore, dentists are sometimes among those who become infected and sick with AIDS as a result of their professional activities.
Who can be infected with AIDS among people with other health problems?
Experts in the field of medicine draw conclusions about who is sick with HIV among people with other diseases on the basis of studies that have been conducted over several decades. To date, it has been established that persons with other untreated or undertreated sexually transmitted diseases have a greater risk of infection. Why are such people at risk for HIV infection? First, because sexually transmitted diseases cause a serious blow to the immune system. Secondly, most of them lead to the appearance of ulcers, cracks and erosions on the genitals, which increase the risk of infection during sexual contact.
This risk group for HIV infection also includes patients with hemophilia. This disease affects mainly men. Its treatment is specific and requires frequent administration of globulin and thromboplastin. The latter is a component removed from the plasma in a special way. It is of two types - cryoprecipitate or concentrate. In the preparation of the latter, the plasma of several thousand donors is used. This increases the risk of infection accordingly. Especially if the blood of unverified donors is used. Cryoprecipit is prepared from the plasma of just a few donors. Accordingly, its use allows patients with hemophilia not to be at risk of contracting AIDS.
Other high-risk groups for HIV infection
The remaining high-risk groups in most cases lead an immoral lifestyle. The highest risk of infection in girls and women of easy virtue. A prostitute with AIDS is not uncommon. Infection among representatives of an ancient profession can occur if poor-quality contraceptives are used. It is important to note here that the barrier method of contraception is not one hundred percent able to protect against the penetration of infection into the body.
Prostitutes infected with AIDS often infect their clients. At the same time, sometimes, girls do not know that they are sick, because with their lifestyle, it is necessary to check for the presence of a virus almost every week. But not always infection occurs due to ignorance of a terrible disease. Some HIV-positive prostitutes deliberately infect their clients. In this case, we are talking about mental disorders. After all, they purposefully endanger the lives of others. Someone does it out of revenge, someone out of anger at the whole world and, in particular, at men.
To the question of who is most often ill with HIV infection among ordinary people, experts in the field of medicine have long found the answer. These are representatives of sexual minorities and bisexuals. At the same time, the receiving partner is much more likely to become infected.
What kind of people with an immoral lifestyle also often get AIDS? Injection drug addicts who do not comply with hygiene standards. It is not uncommon for people who use drugs to use one syringe for all. Infection can also occur when blood containing virus cells enters a container in which some types of injectable drugs are boiled. After drug addicts become infected with HIV, most of them are not tested, because the symptoms of this disease are in many ways similar to withdrawal symptoms. It should be noted that this group of increased risk of HIV infection is the most extensive.
Primary immunodeficiency. Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome is a primary immunodeficiency condition affecting both T-lymphocytes and B-lymphocytes. In addition, platelets are affected - cells […]
There are well-defined groups at increased risk for HIV infection. They include gay men, drug addicts, prostitutes, and hemophiliacs who may receive contaminated blood through transfusions. Having infected a person, the virus can also be transmitted through heterosexual relationships with people who do not fall into any of the high-risk groups. Particularly contribute to the spread of the virus group and anal sex. The virus in the seed easily passes through inflamed or torn membranes. Drug addicts can pick up and spread the virus through shared needles. Those who engage in prostitution to obtain drugs are spreading the virus even more widely. Many hemophiliacs have contracted the virus through contaminated "factor VIII" (produced from the blood), which is used to treat hemophilia. In most countries, donated blood is now tested for HIV.
The prevalence of AIDS is difficult to measure: an infected person may not feel sick and unintentionally continue to spread the virus. Anyone who has sexual intercourse with a person who has had another partner is at risk. The only absolute remedy is chastity. However, condoms made to high standards and used correctly can also prevent the spread of the virus.
Blood tests for HIV infection are now publicly available. About 12 weeks after sexual contact, it is usually possible to tell if the virus has been transmitted. During the first two weeks, flu-like symptoms may be observed, but sometimes without any symptoms. Being a carrier of HIV can be very difficult psychologically; in addition to fear of the possible development of AIDS, patients may suffer from discrimination in the employment service and insurance companies and, possibly, from the loss of social and economic status. Therefore, it is important for patients to seek help and advice, and his family and friends should give him love and support. Being diagnosed with HIV does not mean an immediate death sentence. According to one study, 75% of HIV-positive men felt great and had no symptoms two years after diagnosis.
Approximately 30% of HIV carriers develop persistent swollen lymph nodes. This is often accompanied by fatigue and malaise. Patients may be advised to avoid stress whenever possible and eat a healthy diet to prevent worsening of symptoms.
Some HIV-infected patients continue to develop overt immune system symptoms, thrush, skin disorders, fever, diarrhea, weight loss, and persistent fatigue.
Oddly enough, but scientists have proven that HIV infection is not resistant to environmental influences, but at the same time, every year there are more infected people, and the risk groups for HIV infection are replenished at a tremendous speed. Few people know that the virus kills thousands of people a year who absolutely do not heed the advice of doctors who urge them to lead a healthy lifestyle and use special contraceptives.
Previously, there was an opinion that same-sex couples could become infected with HIV, but later it was proved that this is actually not the case, completely different people, even those who lead a healthy lifestyle, may be at risk.
How the virus is transmitted
To date, most often infection occurs through human blood, when there is direct contact. This happens if a blood transfusion is performed, of course, modern hospitals try to protect themselves as much as possible and prevent infection, but exceptions are still rare. There are cases when a rare blood type needs to be transfused immediately, then doctors can ignore all the rules in order to save the patient's life. It is unlikely that it will be possible to identify the infection immediately after the transfusion, but after a few months the first symptoms will make themselves felt.
The patient can become infected in the hospital and through the reuse of the instruments of the medical institution, then this is called nosocomial infection. The risk group for HIV infection includes people who use the same syringe, most often drug addicts. At the same time, with the help of one such syringe, more than ten people can become infected.
It cannot be ruled out that during low-quality cosmetic procedures, for example, people who are fond of piercings and tattoos may be at risk.
People who are fond of anal sex or have an unprotected sex life are at risk of HIV infection. The disease can also be transmitted from mother to child during pregnancy through the placenta or even during childbirth. Sometimes the infection enters the body of a person who works in a medical institution and deals with a patient with HIV infection, but transmission is possible only if the medical worker himself neglects sanitary and hygienic rules and works without gloves.
Myths about HIV infection
Science has proven that only those people who can become infected through blood are at risk of contracting HIV infection; the virus is not transmitted by shaking hands or by household means. The virus cannot be transmitted through a kiss, unless, of course, there are open wounds in the person's mouth. The fact is that the virus can be contained in the products of vital activity, but it is not enough to infect another person.
Medically illiterate people believe that the virus can enter the body of another person by airborne droplets, but any specialist will provide a lot of evidence that this cannot be, as, in fact, that the virus enters the body through the use of common dishes. It is safe to live near infected people if you follow basic precautions and monitor your health.
How drug addicts get infected
The risk groups of the population with HIV infection in most cases include drug addicts or people who are promiscuous. Being under the influence of a narcotic substance, such people do not think about safety, and most of the environment begins to use one syringe. Dangerous are people who prefer non-traditional types of sexual intercourse, mostly girls of easy virtue who practice sex without a condom.
Sexual transmission of HIV
The second place in terms of HIV infection is occupied by people who prefer to have sex without a condom. The fact is that oral contraceptives can only protect against unwanted pregnancy, but not from the disease. During sexual intercourse, microcracks can form in partners that cannot be felt, it is through them that a harmful virus can enter the human body. Some couples prefer oral sex, but it should be noted that oral sex is also not safe, as a man's semen can contain a large amount of the virus, and a small scratch in the mouth will be enough to get infected.
When the virus is transmitted sexually, it is women who most often fall into the risk groups for HIV infection. This is due to the fact that they have a larger area of the mucous membranes of the genital organs, which means that the risk of infection increases several times.
What is the essence of vertical infection
Vertical infection involves the transmission of HIV infection from a sick mother to a child during fetal development. The fact is that the child receives all the necessary nutrients through the blood, which is why doctors recommend that the sick woman take special drugs that will suppress the virus in order to exclude the possibility of the birth of an infected baby. Transmission of the virus can also occur through breast milk, as it contains a large number of viral cells, so doctors advise to stop it.
Many are mistaken, believing that an unhealthy child must be born to a sick mother; according to statistics, 70% of such children are born absolutely healthy. It is also important to remember that it is not immediately possible to determine whether a child is healthy or not, because until the age of three he has antibodies in his body that are transmitted from his mother.
Increased risk group
Separately, it is worth noting the high-risk groups for HIV infection:
In order to recognize the disease in time, it is necessary to undergo a routine examination at least once every six months.
Risk groups in different fields of activity
It is impossible to say for sure that only drug addicts or people leading a promiscuous sex life can get into risk groups. can even affect healthcare workers. Basically, infection in this case occurs when elementary hygiene rules are not followed. First of all, surgeons can suffer, who should act quickly and do not have time to do an analysis for the presence of HIV infection in a patient. In addition to surgeons, personnel who take blood from sick patients and who do this without wearing rubber gloves may be at risk.
Risk groups for HIV infection may be different, but, in general, infection in the medical field occurs as follows:
- The doctor may accidentally cut or prick with an instrument that has infected the patient's blood.
- Contact of a biological fluid containing an infection on open areas of the skin of a medical worker, and later they can also get on the mucous membranes.
The risk groups for HIV infection include employees of beauty salons, masters doing pedicures and manicures. The master can get an accidental cut. Through the resulting wound, blood from an infected person enters a healthy person, after which infection occurs. Oddly enough, but law enforcement officers may also be at risk. During detention, the offender often behaves aggressively, as a result of which the employee of the authorities is injured and bitten, during which he can become infected.
Prevention of HIV infection
Knowing all the risk groups for HIV infection, each person must observe basic precautions:
Now you know what HIV infection is, ways of transmission, risk groups. Prevention is the only way to avoid the possibility of contracting this terrible disease, which is still considered incurable.
For the first time, a message about a new disease was placed on June 5, 1981 in the American weekly Morbidity and Mortality Reports Daily. Naturally, the emergence of a new virus gave rise to numerous hypotheses of its origin.
According to some scientists, the virus is of simian origin. From monkeys from Africa, viruses have been isolated that are very similar in their gene structure to HIV. How could transmission of a related simian virus to humans occur? Many tribes of Central Africa hunt monkeys and use their internal organs and blood for food. Infection with the monkey virus could occur when cutting the carcass through lesions on the skin of the hunter or when eating raw meat, the brain of monkeys.
Scientists are of the opinion that overcoming the species barrier could occur as a result of the mutation of the monkey virus, as a result of radioactive exposure. In 1950-1960, nuclear weapons were tested, and in the equatorial zone of the globe there was a sharp increase in the radioactive background, which is very high in the places where uranium ores occur in some parts of Africa.
According to another version expressed by a number of scientists, HIV is artificially created. Back in 1969, the Pentagon developed a program to create bacteriological weapons capable of suppressing the human immune system. In one of the US research centers, new types of viruses were obtained by genetic engineering from viruses isolated from animals in Africa. The tests were carried out on convicts serving life sentences in exchange for release at the end of the experiment. Perhaps their release contributed to the spread of HIV infection among the population
The version is based on the coincidence of the completion of the experiment on the development of this type of bacteriological weapon and the appearance of the first cases of AIDS among homosexuals, and precisely in the USA and the countries of Central Africa. However, there is no convincing objective or documentary evidence to support it.
Stages of the disease
During the course of the disease caused by the human immunodeficiency virus, several stages are distinguished:
First stage– absence of clinical manifestations of HIV infection. This stage lasts from 2 to 15 years. It is called HIV infection. A person can look and feel healthy and still pass the infection to other people.
Second stage– pre-AIDS. It is characterized by the appearance of the first symptoms of the disease: swollen lymph nodes; weight loss; fever; weakness.
Third stage– AIDS. It lasts from several months to 2 years, ends with the death of the patient. It is characterized by the development of severe, life-threatening diseases caused by fungi, bacteria, viruses.
Ways of transmission of HIV infection
HIV does not live in animals. For its life and reproduction, it needs human cells, therefore it cannot be transmitted from animals to humans. This position was proved by American scientists who worked in the monkey nursery. In experiments on rats, mice, baboons and cats, it has never been possible to get infected. Therefore, it is possible to get infected with the virus that causes AIDS only from the person who is the source of HIV infection.
In an HIV-infected person, the content of the virus in different fluids is not the same. The largest amount of the virus sufficient to infect another person in an HIV-infected person is found in blood, semen, vaginal secretions, cerebrospinal fluid, and breast milk. Therefore, we can talk about three modes of HIV transmission:
parenteral (through the blood, by getting the virus into the blood);
vertical (if an infected woman decides to give birth to a child, that is, from an HIV-infected mother, the virus can be transmitted to a child during pregnancy, childbirth, and feeding).
Infection through the blood is the fastest way, so among injecting drug users it is spreading exponentially. And the reason for everything is the use of one syringe two or three times. When narcotic drugs are injected, blood usually remains in the needle, which enters the vein of the next user of the syringe, infecting him. Drug addicts often go to other groups, spreading the infection further. Theoretically, there may also be a risk of infection through donated blood. But each portion of it must be checked. If a positive result is detected, the blood is withdrawn and destroyed.
There are other ways of introducing infection through the blood (manicure, bloody fights, non-sterile razors, etc.).
The sexual route is slower. The risk with protected sex is extremely low, and with unprotected sex it has its own nuances. For example, an infected man infects his partner from the first contact. And an infected woman (healthy gynecologically) cannot always pass HIV to a man. Registered in the Kiev city center there are married couples where the wife is infected, and the husband and children are healthy.
To date, it has already been reliably revealed, for example, that a high level of sexually transmitted diseases in society, reducing the immunity of sick people, makes them at the same time easily vulnerable to HIV infection. A high level of sexually transmitted diseases is an indicator of the frequency of sexual relations, especially extramarital (casual) ones, which, under conditions in cities of social control and sexual promiscuity, may well lead to a potential increase in the number of HIV-infected people.
The traditional form of risk is sexual homosexual contact.
In medicine, HIV infection is a dangerous disease of a viral nature that causes a global destruction of the human immune system and the appearance of concomitant secondary infections and cancers.
The abbreviation HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. HIV has long been recognized as a major human problem. Statistics show that every day about 8,000 people in the world fall ill with HIV or AIDS. To date, the etiology and possible methods of treatment of the disease are being actively investigated.
The pathogenesis of HIV infection is constantly under investigation. Its main sources are people suffering from AIDS and carriers of HIV infection. The virus can be in semen, blood, menstrual secretions, or in a woman's vaginal secretions for a long time. Less dangerous is breast milk, lacrimal secretion and saliva of infection carriers. The probability of transmitting the disease to a healthy person increases if he has any damage to the skin: stomatitis, open injuries, erosion of the internal genital organs, abrasions, periodontal disease. Only a qualified doctor can determine the route of entry of the virus into the body.
HIV can be transmitted naturally from an infected mother to a newborn or during unprotected sex. Another transmission mechanism is also likely. For example, if the introduction of substances or surgery were performed with non-sterile instruments. If contact with a carrier of HIV infection was single, then the risk of infection is low. Regular intimate contact with an infected person can increase it several times.
Infection of a parenteral nature is carried out when using syringes contaminated with an infection, transfusing infected blood (sepsis) or during various medical, dental and cosmetic procedures (if the instrument has not been properly processed).
Based on this, we can say that at risk are:
- people who need organ transplants or receive blood donations;
- injecting drug addicts;
- people leading a promiscuous sex life;
- prostitutes;
- medical workers and relatives of infected people who are in direct contact with them;
- children of HIV-infected women;
- people suffering from diseases that are transmitted sexually.
People who fall into these categories should have regular hiv blood tests for existing forms of HIV infection.
In what cases is transmission of infection impossible?
It has been established that not every person has resistance to HIV infection. If there is an HIV-infected person in your environment, you should take all precautions. But you can not get infected in the following cases:
- while kissing or hugging.
- when coughing, sneezing.
- while sharing food or drinks.
- in the sauna, bath or pool.
- when shaking hands.
- through insect bites (including mosquitoes).
Types of HIV pathogens
To date, the following types of immunodeficiency virus are distinguished:
- HIV-1 is recognized as the most common causative agent of infection, which later leads to the development of AIDS.
- HIV-2 is a little-studied variety. It differs from the previous type in the structure of the genome. HIV-2 is less likely to be transmitted.
Symptoms of the disease in the early and late stages
Long-term studies have shown that women are more likely to be infected with HIV. During their lives, they experience periods in which immunity is noticeably weakened: bearing a child, menstruation. The immune virus during pregnancy is dangerous not only for the expectant mother, but also for the fetus, which can become infected even before birth. Therefore, it is so important that a woman knows all the possible early signs and symptoms of the disease.
At an early stage, the symptoms of the virus in women are manifested in the form of skin rashes, itching, nausea, turning into vomiting and diarrhea. There is muscle and joint pain. Along with this, there is an increase in lymph nodes, ulcerative lesions of soft tissues in the mouth. These symptoms in adults are similar to those of many infectious diseases. Therefore, only a reaction to HIV and other types of research can make an accurate diagnosis.
The late stage is characterized by structural changes in the skin on the genitals, in the mouth. Ulcers become deep, pustules form. HIV affects the organs of the reproductive system: there is a decline in sexual activity, a failure of the menstrual cycle. Against the background of the disease, the woman's immunity is destroyed, which leads to the development of malignant neoplasms (sarcoma, cervical cancer, lymphoma). A progressive disease quickly chains a woman to a hospital bed.
The symptoms of HIV infection in men are somewhat different. Primary manifestations are similar to the course of SARS: fever, fever. A characteristic skin rash appears only 1-2 weeks after infection. Temperature in HIV infection is treated with standard drugs. As soon as the initial symptoms are eliminated, the so-called asymptomatic period will begin.
The disease will remind of itself again when the man begins to feel constant fatigue. It will be accompanied by severe diarrhea, acute inflammation of the lymph nodes, bleeding gums. People with HIV become "hostages" of many serious illnesses: tuberculosis, SARS, pneumonia. Only early diagnosis of HIV infection will make it possible to stop the destructive processes.
Classification of HIV stages
The clinical course of HIV infection is divided into 5 main stages. Their classification is as follows:
- incubation period. The stage lasts from 3 to 12 weeks. There is an active spread of the virus in the body, but the immune system has not yet responded to this process. The incubation stage ends with either the production of anti-HIV antibodies or the diagnosis of acute HIV infection. The material for analysis is blood serum, which is tested for the detection of a virus (DNA particles or antigens). The danger is the failure to detect an infection that is already present in the body.
- Stage 2 (stage of primary manifestations). The replication of the virus (its spread) begins to cause various reactions in the body. There are symptoms of an infectious nature: rashes on the dermis and mucous membranes, pharyngitis, diarrhea, polylymphadenitis. Then they are joined by diseases associated with damage to the immune system: fungal infections, pneumonia, herpes, tonsillitis. The course of this stage has all the symptoms of acute HIV infection. This is the most contagious stage, as viruses multiply and spread throughout the body especially intensively.
- Latent period (stage 3). It is characterized by the slow and gradual development of immunodeficiency. A blood test will show the presence of antibodies to HIV in it. The main clinical manifestation at this stage is swelling and swelling of the lymph nodes in various parts of the patient's body. Subclinical stage 3 can last from 2 to 20 years. With proper treatment, the duration of the virus carrier will be many years, and the state of human health will remain at the same stable level.
- The fourth stage is determined by the development of secondary-type infections (bacterial, fungal, viral) in the body. The risk of developing malignant neoplasms is high. The patient is rapidly losing weight. By the end of stage 4, concomitant infections become irreversible, and nervous disorders occur. If you do not resort to qualified complex treatment, then death will occur in a few months. The risk of infection of a healthy person from an infected person is quite high.
- Terminal stage. There is a gradual destruction of all organs and systems of the body. Even the most modern types of treatment do not work. Death occurs in 3-12 months.
Diagnosis of the disease
Early and timely diagnosis of HIV infection is important not only for prescribing the right treatment, but also for increasing the life expectancy of an infected person. If you have typical symptoms of the disease, or unprotected intimate contact has occurred, you should immediately contact a medical facility.
Diagnosis is performed by a method that checks for the presence of antibodies to HIV in the blood. These are proteins of a specific composition that the body produces as a result of a virus entering the bloodstream. Antibodies are produced within 3-24 weeks after infection. The most accurate method for detecting antibodies is enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (or ELISA). The sensitivity of the analysis is at least 99.5%. The result you get may be negative, positive, or questionable. In the latter case, the patient will be offered to make additional diagnostics. Immunoblotting is a specific analysis that will give the final and most reliable result. A false positive response is likely when an autoimmune disease (rheumatism, psoriasis, lupus) occurs in the body.
If the diagnosis showed a negative response, and the patient has the presence of the disease, then HIV markers can be recognized by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. The features of this hiv analysis are that it is possible to determine the RNA and DNA of the virus in the blood material at an early stage, that is, already 2-3 weeks after the probable infection.
Features of the treatment of HIV infection
As mentioned earlier, HIV infection is treated with the help of complex therapy. It involves constant monitoring of the state of the patient's immune system, the elimination and prevention of diseases of a secondary nature, and the exclusion of the appearance of cancerous neoplasms.
In the case of HIV infection, in no case should you self-medicate. Only a qualified specialist will be able to find out the causes of the disease and prescribe highly active antiretroviral therapy, which will slow down the progression of the infection, and most importantly, prevent it from progressing to the AIDS stage.
The general scheme of treatment of the disease includes the following drugs:
- Means of antiretroviral type ("Didanosine", "Zidovudine", "Stavudine", "Nevirapine", "Ritonavir", "Nelfinavir"). If necessary, the doctor will prescribe the simultaneous administration of several drugs. Many of them have side effects, so the patient should never exceed the allowable dose.
- In the patient's body, so-called opportunistic infections can develop. In a healthy person, bacteria are considered normal inhabitants of the body, while in an HIV-infected person, the opposite picture is observed. Opportunistic infections include pneumonia, tuberculosis, candidiasis, syphilis, hepatitis virus. Treatment and prevention of each disease are individual. The drugs will be selected by the appropriate doctor. For example, for the prevention of pneumonia, Biseptol is prescribed, and infection with tuberculosis microbacteria is treated with anti-tuberculosis pills.
- Anticancer drugs. They are prescribed in the event that a patient has malignant neoplasms.
In addition to drug treatment, the patient should maintain a general condition through rest, healthy sleep, balanced and proper nutrition. Smoking and drinking alcohol is recommended to be avoided. Regular monitoring of the condition of an HIV patient is a mandatory point of therapy.
Prognosis for HIV infection
Modern medicine has not yet created drugs that can completely cure HIV infection. But the prognosis for an infected person can vary depending on how carefully they follow the prescribed therapy. Therapeutic agents used today can significantly increase the life of each patient. An important role in the containment of progressing AIDS is played by the psychological mood of a person and the efforts that he directs to comply with the prescribed regimen.
HIV prevention
All methods of prevention offered to the population are carried out in four main areas:
- Carrying out activities of an educational nature on the issues of sexual education of adolescents and youth. Sexual illiteracy often leads to the spread of HIV infection. Doctors, teachers and parents should convey to adolescents and high school students the culture of gender relations, the importance of using contraception, and information about sexually transmitted diseases. Every infected person should realize that sexual life with HIV involves taking care of yourself and your partner, taking all precautions.
- Strict medical control over the collection of donor material: blood, sperm, organs for transplantation.
- Support for pregnant HIV-positive women. Each patient should receive qualified care, free treatment and the provision of funds for chemoprophylaxis. Gynecology for HIV-infected people should be located in the appropriate department. The medical staff is obliged to take into account all the risks of infection of the fetus with the virus and convey them to the woman.
- Providing psychological assistance to HIV-positive patients. Occupational psychotherapy for HIV helps patients get rid of stress and depression. The doctor also prescribes group classes, massage and other types of therapy.
