The World Health Organization is sounding the alarm over the high rate of spread of the human immunodeficiency virus, which infects people all over the world. Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is considered a real plague of the 21st century, because treatment has not yet been found.
The immunodeficiency virus is transmitted from person to person, but you can get infected not only from a really sick person, but also from a latent carrier of the infection. Regular HIV testing can protect, if not already infected, the people around him, who may not be aware of the danger that could threaten their health.
How is transmitted
The most common route of transmission is through sexual contact, which occurs without barrier contraceptives. The second frequency path is through the blood, for example, in case of safety violations during blood transfusion or when using only needles for injections, dental instruments, and surgical agents. Even a minimal amount of blood, invisible to the naked eye, can transmit the virus. Also, quite often, infection occurs from a sick mother to an unborn child. That is why a blood test for HIV must be carried out for preventive purposes, because sometimes a person may not even suspect that he has become infected.
Why do I need to take an analysis
Despite the fact that it is impossible to completely cure immunodeficiency syndrome, a blood test for HIV will allow you to identify the virus in time and start conducting maintenance therapy, which can significantly improve the patient's quality of life and increase its duration. There are also experimental AIDS treatments, but for most people they are often not available due to the high cost of the drugs.
The patient's condition is often complicated by oncological diseases and secondary infections, so he needs constant medical supervision. Since the immune system is turned off, even a common cold can destroy a person, so an AIDS patient should be extremely careful. It is also necessary to regularly take a general blood test for HIV, which will help to monitor the work of the bone marrow and control the rate of destruction of immunity.
When and how to get tested
Since the immunodeficiency virus has a rather long incubation period, it is necessary to pass the analysis 3 months after unprotected intercourse with an unstable partner, and if the partner is permanent, then for preventive purposes it is necessary to repeat the analysis every six months. Without fail, a blood test for HIV is given during pregnancy planning or when registering with a antenatal clinic and during preoperative preparation. It is also advisable to take an analysis if there was a risk of infection due to the use of non-sterile injection needles or other tools.
Where you can test yourself for HIV
A routine blood test for HIV can be performed in a manipulation room at clinics and hospitals, blood sampling is performed on an empty stomach, blood is taken from the ulnar vein. In addition, anyone can contact the regional AIDS center, where they will carry out the necessary analysis in a short time. If desired, this analysis can be carried out anonymously, the results become known after a maximum of 10 days. If they are fuzzy, you may have to retake the analysis, but do not worry in advance.
In the event that the result of the analysis is positive, the patient must contact the specialists at the AIDS center who will select the appropriate therapy for him and provide the necessary drugs. Even the diagnosis of immunodeficiency syndrome does not end life, even with the virus you can live long happy years.