Methods 1: To understand the infection and transmission route of HIV.
1, to understand the pathogenesis of HIV. HIV infects and destroys cells responsible for fighting viruses and bacteria, such as T cells or CD4 cells in blood, making patients vulnerable to other viruses or diseases. HIV virus needs to use T cells to replicate itself, so it cannot survive in human tissues such as skin and hair without blood cells. Patients infected with HIV virus are called "HIV positive" or "HIV+". There are basically no CD4 cells in AIDS patients, and the immune system has been seriously damaged. Patients will experience "opportunistic infection" or develop cancer related to infection.
2. Most normal social activities will not be infected with HIV. There is no risk of infection by chatting or shaking hands with HIV carriers, so don't worry about whether the people you have met have HIV. HIV cannot survive in air, water and most external media of human body, so eating at the same table, sharing food, swimming or bathing with HIV carriers will not be infected by the virus.
3. Understand the route of transmission of HIV. HIV is transmitted through certain body fluids, including blood, semen, prostatic fluid, breast milk and vaginal secretions. Contact with these liquids may lead to HIV infection. The following chapters will give you detailed advice on how to avoid contact with these body fluids (including sexual behavior). Saliva and sputum do not carry HIV. In other words, kissing, sneezing, coughing and other behaviors are impossible to spread HIV unless there is obvious blood in saliva and sputum. Even so, the probability of daily contact with HIV infection is still very low.
Method 2: Reduce the risk of sexual transmission.
1, reduce the risk of sexual intercourse. Asexual sex, reducing the number of sexual partners, requiring sexual partners to accept HIV testing and/or having sex with healthy people who only have you as their only sexual partner are all effective ways to reduce HIV infection. One or more of the following sexual intercourse methods, combined with the use of condoms, is also an excellent choice to reduce the risk of AIDS infection. Have your long-term partner tested for HIV before having sex without using condoms. A large number of HIV carriers do not know that they have been infected.
2. Avoid exchanging body fluids during sexual intercourse. HIV can be transmitted through oral sex, vaginal sex or anal sex. Although we can't completely eliminate the risk of infection, there are still several ways to reduce the chance of infection. When having sex with a new sexual partner or a sexual partner who has not been tested for HIV recently, be sure to wear a condom or a female condom. Similarly, if you have multiple sexual partners, use condoms every time you have sex. When having vaginal or anal sex, if oral sex is needed, you must use a dental rubber barrier or a special condom for oral sex without lubricant to prevent direct contact between private parts and oral cavity. Warning: Sheepskin condoms cannot prevent HIV infection. Sheepskin condoms have small holes through which viruses can enter your body. Polyester condoms are not as safe as rubber condoms.
3. Use condoms effectively. Before using condoms or female condoms for the first time, it is best to practice several times in advance to get familiar with how to put them on and take them off. Discuss the use of condoms with your sexual partner in advance before having sex, so that you don't have to feel stressed about wearing condoms. Make sure to wear a condom before any personal contact. Before wearing a male condom, the air in the capsule at the top of the condom should be squeezed out to make room for the ejaculated semen. When taking off the condom, don't use your sexual partner's body fluids to directly touch the condom, especially when there is a wound on your hand. In order to use condoms safely to the greatest extent, you also need to follow the following guidelines: Do not use condoms or dental rubber barriers that are damaged, expired, reused or used for more than 20 minutes.
Add a small amount of water-based lubricant to the condom as needed to prevent the condom from breaking because it is not wet enough. Oil-based lubricants cannot be used, because oil-based lubricants will undermine the safety of condoms.
If the penis is weak, the penis and condom should be pulled out as soon as possible, otherwise the condom may fall off.
Store condoms in a dry and sunless place. Carry-on condoms, change them after 1-2 weeks.
4. Rumors about preventing HIV infection. There are many rumors and misunderstandings about the prevention of HIV transmission and AIDS infection. If you know the truth, you will not protect yourself in the wrong way. You know, having sex with HIV carriers in any form will lead to the risk of infection, and using condoms is one of the most reliable ways to reduce the risk of infection. Apart from condoms, no contraceptive measures can prevent HIV infection.
Circumcision can not completely prevent HIV infection. Studies have shown that circumcision can reduce the probability of male HIV infection from female HIV carriers to some extent. However, circumcision is not equal to "safe sex"; Circumcision has no specific protective effect on male sexual intercourse, nor can it reduce the probability of women contracting HIV from male HIV carriers.
At present, there is no so-called "special lubricant", "antibacterial drugs" or "anti-HIV vaccine" to prevent HIV infection. Lubricants help to prevent HIV infection, only because lubricants can prevent condoms from breaking due to excessive drying, not because lubricants have antiviral effects.
5. Know what kind of sexual intercourse can reduce (but not completely eliminate) the possibility of HIV infection. Although sex involving vagina, penis or anus is not 100% safe, if you decide to have sex with HIV carriers, you can still choose some relatively safe sexual intercourse methods. Oral sex, especially oral-vaginal sex, is less likely to spread HIV than other sexual intercourse. But there is no clear research to show how safe oral sex is. Inserting fingers or sex toys into anus or vagina is also a safer way of sexual intercourse, but to ensure that there are no wounds and injuries on fingers, sex toys should be cleaned and disinfected in time.
Method 3: Reduce the risk of injection infection.
1, try to avoid injecting drugs. Using needles used by HIV carriers is likely to make you infected with HIV. Even if the needle looks clean, the risk still exists. Because many injecting drugs are addictive, it is difficult to reduce the number and frequency of injection. Many addicts will choose to inject even if they know that the needle is dirty. In this case, we strongly recommend that you participate in the substance abuse rehabilitation program.
2. Do not reuse or share needles when injecting drugs or tattoos. Use a brand-new sterile needle every time, or make sure that the tattoo artist does not reuse the same needle. Use needles with guaranteed sources. Any tools or materials used to prepare or inject drugs should not be reused or shared, including water (because water may also contain blood infected with HIV). After using the needle, put the needle in a sealed bottle and dispose of it in a safe place to prevent anyone from recycling or collecting the needle. Some places have free needle "trade-in" activities. Search these activities in your city on the Internet.
If you really can't get clean needles, you should also clean them thoroughly before each use. If you really can't quit injecting drugs and can't find a clean needle for a while, you should also thoroughly clean and disinfect the needle and then use the old needle. Not that injections are safe; Just not so dangerous first, pump clean water into the syringe, shake the syringe vigorously to clean up the residual blood particles, and then empty the water in the syringe. Repeat this step several times until no blood can be seen. Then, pump disinfectant (such as household bleach) into the syringe and let it stand for at least 30 seconds. Finally, empty the syringe and thoroughly clean the disinfectant with clean water again. Bleaching water stored in warm and sunny places will partially decompose and fail.
Method 4: Reduce the risk of infection at work or from HIV-positive partners.
1. If your job requires you to touch body fluids, you should try to wear protective clothing. Workers who need to be exposed to body fluids in their daily work, such as medical workers, should always be vigilant. Do not directly touch used sharp objects (such as syringes, The Lancet, etc.). ). Used sharp objects should be thrown into the trash can in time to prevent accidental contact. Wear appropriate protective clothing (such as gloves, robes, goggles, etc.). ) contact with blood or other body fluids. Contact with any blood or body fluids should be as cautious as handling infected blood or body fluids.
2. Take disinfection measures after contact. Whether you are a medical worker, accidentally spilled by a patient's blood, or found a condom worn during sexual intercourse, you should see a doctor at the first time. For more information, please consult an infectious disease doctor. If you are pregnant or have plans to get pregnant, you should first consult your doctor about pregnancy and HIV, and know how to prevent HIV from being transmitted to your baby.
3. Safe sex. If one of your sexual partners is HIV positive, you should try to establish a safe and intimate relationship with him/her. Use condoms during sexual intercourse, or use sexual intercourse without body fluid exchange, such as replacing other parts of the body with fingers or sex toys. For details, please refer to the section "Reducing the risk of sexually transmitted diseases".
When considering planning pregnancy with HIV carriers, you should know all the options at hand in detail. Through adoption or sperm bank, the possibility of a woman or baby contracting HIV from a male carrier is minimized. If the carrier is female, consider looking for a surrogate mother. It is not recommended to use the sperm of HIV carriers, but in fact, medical means such as in vitro culture and artificial insemination can reduce the incidence of sperm (not completely safe). Unprotected sex with HIV carriers is the most vulnerable to infection. Before making this decision, you must consult your doctor in detail and try to avoid having sex during ovulation.
5. Ask your doctor about anti-infection. PrEP is a preventive drug that needs to be taken regularly. It is specially developed for people who have frequent contact with HIV carriers. This drug is also suitable for long-term partners who are at risk of HIV infection. PrEP does not guarantee that 100% is effective, so it is better to use it together with other protective measures (such as condoms). Strictly follow the doctor's advice and take it on time and in quantity, otherwise the effect will be reduced. If you only come into contact with HIV-positive body fluids by chance, then you don't need to take PrEP. On the contrary, you should see a doctor as soon as possible after contact and take "post-preventive measures" in time.
Method 5: Appropriate measures should be taken after suspected infection.
1. See a doctor immediately and take measures to prevent infection. If you have been exposed to infected body fluids or feel that you may be infected, you should take preventive measures against infection in time or take anti-retroviral drug PEP. Taking this medicine immediately after contact with the source of infection (within 72 hours) can greatly reduce the chance of infection. The CDC only recommends that HIV-negative people who have been exposed to HIV recently take PEP. Abuse of pepper can lead to serious health problems. This medicine can't cure HIV, but if used properly, it can really help people who have come into contact with the source to fight the virus.
2. Pay attention to the symptoms. People infected with HIV usually (not necessarily) develop flu symptoms within 4-6 weeks after infection. This condition is called ARS (acute retrovirus syndrome) and "the worst flu in history". Patients may have symptoms such as fever, sore throat, swollen lymph nodes and rash. These symptoms may last up to 4 weeks. If you find yourself with these symptoms, you should have an HIV test immediately.
3. Conduct routine inspection. Examination is the only way to know whether you are sick or not. The test usually takes the form of blood test, but sometimes urine test or body fluid smear test is also carried out. The inspection result may be as fast as 20 minutes or as slow as several days, depending on the inspection time and place. If the test results are positive, that is, you have been infected with HIV, then you should actively receive treatment immediately.
Method 6: Receive HIV or AIDS treatment.
1. Know what it means to be infected with HIV. Once a person is HIV positive, HIV will never leave this person's body. However, drug treatment can still delay the onset of infection and the worst future of HIV infection-AIDS. Modern therapeutic drugs can effectively slow down the spread of the virus and help HIV carriers live a relatively comfortable life, but there is still no treatment that can completely cure HIV. Even if the virus carriers keep healthy for several years or even decades, the HIV in their bodies is still contagious.
2. Make an appointment with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV or AIDS. Have an outpatient service in the infectious diseases department of the local hospital, or ask your familiar doctor to recommend an expert to you. Depending on the specific circumstances, patients may be referred to other doctors for further treatment. As long as they strictly follow the doctor's advice and receive adequate treatment, patients are likely to be able to curb the deterioration of HIV in their bodies and live a relatively healthy life.
3. Be prepared before consulting. Write down all your worries and questions with paper and pen, as well as your symptoms, and make a list. This can help doctors guide the consultation process. A specific treatment may not be suitable for all patients, and doctors need to make the most favorable treatment plan according to individual circumstances. Write down your doubts and concerns before treatment. Talking with experts about these ideas can help you release stress, give you useful information and make plans for various problems that may arise in the future. Know your own unique situation. Do more research. All problems should be taken seriously. HIV is a virus that will change a person's doctor. The more information you have, the better you can deal with your situation.
4. Accept the reality that it may take some time for you to find a treatment plan that suits you. Be sure to tell the doctor about the side effects of drugs, because these side effects may indicate another more serious problem in your body. Don't be discouraged during the whole adaptation process. The side effects of drugs and treatment may not be pleasant, but modern drugs can greatly improve the overall health and living standards of HIV carriers and prolong the life span of patients.
5. Avoid contact with other infectious diseases. Because HIV mainly affects the human immune system, it will make you more susceptible to infection or illness. At the peak of influenza, preventive measures should be taken to prevent contact with the source of infection.
6. Establish your own support system. Aids is a fatal disease, and patients need outside help to cope with inner pressure and fear of future uncertainty. Community help groups, frank communication with relatives and friends, and psychological counselors can all help you calm down the emotional ups and downs after diagnosis.
7. Avoid transmitting the virus to others. Like many HIV carriers, if you choose to keep this as your secret, it is your responsibility to "not spread the virus". Be sure to confess this to your sexual partner and ask them to take safety measures before having any form of sexual behavior. Let them know the situation and make the best decision for themselves.
8. Follow the doctor's advice. Take medicine on time, and don't miss any medication time. In this way, the amount of virus in body fluids can be kept low, health can be maintained, and the chance of virus spreading to the outside world can be reduced.
9. If you are pregnant during illness, you should consult a doctor. Ask the doctor about all your options. Although there is no vaccine or treatment that can completely cure HIV, patients can take some medical measures to reduce the risk of transmission of the virus from mother to baby during pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding. Similarly, these medical methods cannot guarantee that 100% is effective, and the risk of mother-to-child transmission still exists.