Place your order now at Essay For All and receive high-quality HIV transmission prevention nursing assignment help from our competent tutors. HIV is a short form of the human immune-deficiency virus. Based on our tutors, HIV is a retrovirus that infects the cells of the human immune system, impairing or destroying their function. When infected by HIV, the virus causes progressive degeneration of the immune system, causing immunodeficiency.
The immune system is always responsible for protecting the body against infections and diseases. On the other hand, a weakened immune system fails to protect the body adequately. That is why people with HIV suffer from immune deficiency; hence they are vulnerable to multiple diseases and infections.
Such diseases related to immune deficiency are commonly known as opportunistic diseases, as they only take advantage of the impaired or weakened immune system. The increased cases of the spread of HIV require increased awareness of how people can ensure HIV transmission prevention. Anytime you need professional HIV transmission prevention nursing assignment help solutions, contact our expert tutors.
Overview of HIV
HIV/AIDS is not a new term. While HIV means a human immune deficiency virus, AIDS stands for acquired immune deficiency syndrome. AIDS is the collection of infections and symptoms relating to the acquired deficiency of the immune system.
HIV infection is the leading cause of AIDS. The main target of HIV is the body’s immune system. Hence, it impairs and weakens healthy immune systems depriving them of the ability to fight against infections and diseases.
AIDS is the most advanced stage of HIV. It develops whenever HIV is left untreated, gradually advancing and weakening the immune system. That is why a person with HIV/AIDS is vulnerable to many health complications, such as cancer. The challenge that the health sector faces are that people diagnosed with HIV are most infectious in the early months of infection. However, some people live with the infection unknowingly until its late stages.
Symptoms of HIV
One can live without knowing they are infected with HIV. After infection, a person may have s short flu-like illness lasting between 2 to 6 weeks. The symptoms will then disappear for a long while. Despite not experiencing any symptoms, the infection continues to cause increased damage to the immune system. Some of the symptoms of HIV are;
- Sore throat
- Rash
- Headache
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Cough
- Diarrhoea
- Fever
- Night sweats
- Chills
- Weight loss
Risk factors for HIV
HIV spreads in various ways. Though anybody can contract HIV, certain factors increase vulnerability to the disease. The public should know such risk factors to take necessary safety precautions to stay safe from HIV. According to our HIV transmission prevention nursing assignment help tutors, such risk factors include;
- Sharing contaminated syringes, needles among other sharp objects
- Receiving unsafe tissue transplantation, blood transfusion and injections
- Involving in harmful drug and alcohol abuse that results in uncontrolled sexual behaviour
- Having sexually transmitted infections like bacterial vaginosis, gonorrhoea, Chlamydia, herpes and syphilis.
- Unprotected sex
- Accidental needle stick injuries, especially among health practitioners
- Unsterilized medical procedures
Modes of transmission of HIV
According to HIV transmission prevention nursing assignment help tutors, there are various ways through which HIV can be transmitted, which include sharing of contaminated needles, blood transfusion, penetrative sex, breastfeeding, childbirth and mother-infant during pregnancy.
Transmission through blood transfusion
Contact with infected blood is likely to result in the spread of HIV. Blood transfusion should be done with a lot of precautions. No blood can be transfused to people in need of blood. That is why blood tests are essential to avoid the chances of transfusing infected blood to patients. As a healthcare giver, it is vital to assess blood for HIV risk status. Any blood that tests HIV positive should be discarded and never be used for transfusion.
Mother-to-child transmission
HIV is highly transmissible from mother to child during pregnancy, labour, delivery, and breastfeeding. Despite the mother testing positive for HIV, there are various ways through which she can minimize the risk of transmitting the disease to the child. According to our HIV transmission prevention nursing assignment helpers, effective HIV treatment and managed delivery help reduce the risk of transmission involving mother and child.
HIV treatment lessens the mother’s viral load, making the child less exposed to the virus while in the wound, during birth and when feeding on breast milk. There are some anti-HIV drugs that, when used by pregnant women who are HIV positive, the drugs cross the placenta to the child’s body to prevent the virus from infecting the baby. Other factors increase the rate of HIV transmission involving mother and child. Some of them include the following;
- Bacterial vaginosis
- Sexually transmitted infection
- HIV related illnesses
- A low CD4 count
- High HIV viral load.
That is why expectant mothers with undetectable viral loads are advised to have a vaginal delivery. However, those with high viral load are recommended for caesarean delivery. Childbirth is another critical process which increases the chances of HIV transmission.
For instance, the witnessed heavy bleeding may expose the child into exposure with direct contact with the mother’s blood, thus increasing the transmission risk. There are various approaches through which women diagnosed with HIV can give birth to several healthy children with a low risk of contracting the infection. Subscribe to our online HIV transmission prevention nursing assignment help services for deeper insights.
Transmission through sharing syringes and needles
Sharp objects play a significant role in increasing the transmission of HIV from infected individuals to healthy people. Such sharp objects include shared needles, syringes, and other sharp medical devices. Essay For All tutors always advise people to avoid sharing needles or related devices when injecting steroids, hormones, drugs or silicone. HIV can last on sharp objects for at least one month if the conditions support its survival.
Sexual transmission
Sexual contact with infected partners is among the leading causes of the spread of HIV. Penetrative sex, whether anal or oral, can make one contract HIV primarily if one of the partners tests HIV positive. Unprotected sex is a contributor to the increased spread of HIV. Based on the Essay for all tutors, HIV can penetrate the body through the foreskin if the penis is not circumcised, through the urethra, and even via cuts, scratches, or open stores along the penis.
People engaging in anal sex are at the highest risk of getting HIV. Vaginal sex, when done without any protection from a person infected with HIV, can lead to disease transmission. If it is between married couples and one of the partners is HIV positive, there are still ways through which the healthy partner can control or prevent the chances of getting the infection. There are various sexual activities which, without protection, increase the transmission risk of HIV. Some of them include the following;
- Insertive vaginal intercourse
- Receptive vaginal intercourse
- Receptive anal intercourse
- Receiving and giving oral sex
- Sharing of sex toys without sterilizing
For more information and related HIV transmission prevention nursing assignment help, contact our professional tutors.
Prevention measures for HIV
People should no longer worry about the risk of getting HIV. There are various ways through which the disease can be prevented. The challenge is the lack of adequate knowledge on how HIV is passed from one infected person to another.
That is why healthcare givers have various HIV awareness and education programs to enlighten people on how a person can acquire HIV. It is first essential to understand that the virus spreads through body fluids such as breast milk, vaginal fluids, semen and blood. Some of the approaches to use in preventing HIV transmission are unlimited:
- Using antiretroviral drugs for prevention
- Voluntary medical male circumcision
- Testing and counselling for HIV and STIs
- Male and female condom use
- Avoid careless injection of intravenous drugs
- Use sterilized or new needles for any injections
- Engage in safe or protected sex
- Awareness of your HIV status
There are various myths about HIV transmission that people should avoid to ensure the effective prevention of HIV. Such misleading information is likely to confuse people striving to minimize their chances of getting HIV. The myths can also hinder them from understanding the facts about the transmission means of HIV and appropriate ways to respond. According to our HIV transmission prevention nursing assignment helpers, HIV can never be transmitted through;
- Insect bites such as mosquito
- Toilet seats
- Telephones
- Swimming pools
- Casual contacts like bedding, towels and food utensils
- Tears, sweat and saliva
- Hugging
- Handshaking
- Sharing space with an infected person
- Kissing
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