Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)

Until now, hear the words HIV / AIDS as a terrible scourge. In fact, if understood in a logical, HIV / AIDS can be easily avoided. How is that?

Prevalence of HIV / AIDS in Indonesia has been moving at an alarming rate. In 1987, HIV / AIDS case was found for the first time only on the island of Bali. While the current (2007), almost all provinces in Indonesia have discovered cases of HIV / AIDS.

The problem of HIV / AIDS has long since become common issue that continues to siphon attention of various circles, especially the health sector. But the fact is still a lot of information and understanding of these health problems are still not known by the public further.

HIV is the virus that causes AIDS. HIV present in a person's body fluids such as blood, genital secretions (semen or vaginal fluids of an infected) and breast milk that has been infected. While AIDS is a syndrome of decreased immunity caused by HIV. People who develop AIDS very easily infected by various diseases because the immune system of patients had menurun.HIV can be transmitted to others through:

* Sexual intercourse (anal, oral, vaginal) of unprotected (without condoms) with men who had been infected with HIV.

* The needle / piercing / tattoos are not sterile and are used interchangeably.

* Getting a transfusion of blood containing the HIV virus.

* HIV Positive mother to her baby while in the womb, during birth or through breast milk (breast milk).

Transmission

HIV is not transmitted through normal social relationships, such as handshakes, touching, kissing usual, hugging, eating and drinking use of equipment, mosquito bites, swimming pools, use the bathroom or WC / toilet in the same or sharing a house with people living with HIV / AIDS ( PLWHA). PLWHA are living with HIV or AIDS. While OHIDA (People Living with HIV or AIDS), namely the family (children, wife, husband, father, mother) or friends of people with HIV or AIDS.

More than 80% of HIV infections suffered by the productive age groups, especially males, but the proportion of female HIV patients tend to increase. Infections in infants and children, 90% occurred from the mother infected with HIV. Until a few years, a person with HIV is not showing clinical symptoms of HIV infection, however, that person can be contagious to others. After that, AIDS began to grow and show signs or symptoms of clinical signs gejala.Tanda AIDS patients:

1. Body weight decreased by more than 10% within 1 month.
2. Chronic diarrhea lasting more than 1 month.
3. Prolonged fever more than 1 month.
4. Impairment of consciousness and neurological disorders.
5. Dementia / HIV encephalopathy.

Minor symptoms:

1. Cough settled more than 1 month.
2. Generalized itching dermatitis.
3. The existence of multisegmental Herpes zoster and recurrent.
4. Recurring fungal infection in a woman's genitals.

HIV and AIDS can affect anyone. But on vulnerable groups have a greater risk of contracting HIV causes AIDS, namely:

1. People who behave sexually with multiple sexual partners without using condoms.
2. Injecting drug users who use needles together.
3. Injecting drug user sexual partner.
4. Infants whose mothers are HIV positive.

HIV can be prevented by the chain of transmission, ie, using condoms on every risky sex, no needle-bersam same, and as far as possible not to give milk to children when mothers are HIV positive. Until now there is no medicine that can cure AIDS, but that there is a drug to suppress the growth of the HIV virus so that the quality of life for people living with HIV is increasing. This medicine must be taken throughout life.

Screening With Modern Technology

Most HIV tests are antibody tests that measure antibodies made by the body to fight HIV. He takes time for the immune system to produce enough antibodies to be detected by antibody tests. This time period can vary from one person to another. This period is usually diseput as the 'window period'. Most people will develop detectable antibodies within 2 to 8 weeks. However, there is the possibility that some individuals will take longer to develop antibodies that can be detected. So, if the initial negative HIV test done within 3 months after possible exposure to germs, repeated tests should be done about 3 months later, to avoid the possibility of false negative results. 97% of people will develop antibodies in the first 3 months after HIV infection occurs. In very rare cases, it will take 6 months to develop antibodies against HIV.

Another type of test is the test RNA, which can detect HIV directly. The time between HIV infection and detection of RNA is between 9-11 days. This test, which is more costly and used less often than antibody tests, have been used in several areas in the United States.

In most cases, EIA (enzyme immunoassay) are used in blood samples taken from a vein, is the most common screening test for detecting antibodies to HIV. EIA positive (reactive) should be used with the conformation as Western blot test to ensure a positive diagnosis. There are several types of EIA tests that use other body fluids to find HIV antibodies. They are:

* Oral Fluid Test. Using oral fluid (not saliva) collected from the mouth using a special tool. This is an EIA antibody test similar to a blood test with the EIA. Test conformation with the Western blot method performed with the same sample.

* Urine Test. Using the urine, not blood. Sensitivity and specificity of this test is not as good as blood tests and oral fluid. He also requires confirmation test with the Western blot method with the same urine samples.

If a patient is HIV-positive results, it does not mean that the spouse was alive he was also positive. HIV can not be transmitted every time there was sexual intercourse. The only way to know whether these patients had spouses of HIV positive or not is to perform HIV testing HIV terhadapnya.Test during pregnancy are important, because anti-viral therapy can improve maternal health and reduce the likelihood of an HIV-positive pregnant women to transmit on HIV to her child before, during, or after birth. Therapy should be started as early as possible in pregnancy.

In Indonesia, a large hospital in the capital of the province has provided a facility to test for HIV / AIDS. In Jakarta, Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital (RSCM) and other hospitals also have facilities for it. In Bandung, Hasan Sadikin Hospital also has the same facility.

source: netsains.com