HIV AIDS, Sexually Transmitted disease Social Pharmacy Notes
Causative agent: Retrovirus known as HIV (Human immunodeficiency virus)
Signs and symptoms:
- Breakdown of body’s immune system which ultimately leads to life threatening opportunistic infections, neurological disorders and malignancies.
- Weight loss
- Fever or night sweating as well as chronic diarrhea persisting for longer than one month.
- Persistent cough and shortness of breath.
Mode of transmission–
- Through sexual contact with the infected person it is transmitted through vaginal, anal or oral sex .
- Through contaminated needles and syringes especially those used by drug addicts.
- Maternal foetal transmission through placenta.
- Blood contacts through transfusion of contaminated blood and blood products .
Prevention & Control:
- Screening of blood donors for HIV.
- Use of disposable syringes for injection.
- Screening of high risk groups like prostitutes and drug addicts.
- Avoid going to prostitutes for sexual intercourse.
- Do not indulge in oral or anal sex.
- Avoiding promiscuous sexual contact.
- Have only one uninfected sexual partner and do not indulge with multiple sex partners.
- Use of contraceptives like nirodh.
- Instruments used for piercing the nose , tattooing etc carry a high risk of transmitting the disease so they should be properly sterilized.
- Treatment with antiviral agents like azidothymidine.it can prolong the life of a patient.
- Health education about AIDS, its problems and methods of prevention.
F Y D Pharm & S Y D Pharm Notes, Books, Syllabus, PDF, Videos
Suggested readings:
Manisha Yogesh Chaudhari is working as an Assistant Professor at Kokan Gyanpeeth’s Rahul Dharkar College of Pharmacy, Karjat, Maharashtra, India. She has worked with Pfizer and Flamingo Pharmaceuticals. She is actively involved in Books writing, Review, and research paper writing as well as actively involved in contributing towards academic literature
