Human Immunodeficiency Virus ( Hiv )

Mr. .J. is a 30 year old Caucasian male presented to the Emergency Department with symptoms of myalgia, fever, rash, swollen glands, leukopenia, and thrombocytopenia. Mr. J. reported fever and sore throat started about a week ago and the rash presented today. Mr. J. stated “I thought I had the flu but I am not feeling any better and now I have a rash, that’s why I decided to come to the E.D.”. (Health and Human Services panel, 2013)

The risk of MTCT of HIV can be nearly eliminated with early detection followed by appropriate treatment.3 Antiretroviral therapy (ART) provided to the pregnant

Based on documented records, the transfer of vaginal fluids and menstrual blood may possibly contain the virus and exposure in both the mouth and the vagina could possibly result to an HIV infection. Case reports show that female-to-female transmission are linked to drug injection or heterosexual sex.

When a child is born, the very first breathe of life can be infectious due to all of the diseases around us. For an infant, the immune system may be functioning, but is not as strong as the father’s or mothers. Human Milk is known as being species-specific, and is uniquely superior for the feeding of an infant. For the child’s health, breast milk does a lot more than just helping with basic nutrition. Breath milk is very high in fat and contains all the vitamins and nutrients a baby will need during the first 6 months of life, is it also packed with disease-fighting antibodies transported from the mother who will protect an infant from diseases and illnesses they are constantly exposed to during daily life. Certain diseases such as stomach versus, lower respiratory illnesses, ear infections and even meningitis occur less often to a breast fed baby then a formula fed baby.

According to the World Health Organization, in 2013, more than 3 million children were living with HIV. Most causes of HIV in children is through mother to child transmission during pregnancy, breastfeeding, or during labor and delivery (Weinberg, 2016). Furthermore, only 24% of children receive antiretroviral treatment (ART), and nearly 200,000 children died of AIDS related illnesses in 2013 (Children and HIV, 2015).

Available treatment for HIV infected individuals currently includes HAART (Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy). This treatment has proven to be effective by extending life of individuals affected by HIV, doing so by decreasing viral load, HIV transmission, disease progression, reducing severity of symptoms and preserved the immune system. Therefore, it is important for the patient to get tested to ensure treatment is no delayed and risk further complication. As the virus progress the illness associated with it becomes more complicated and difficult to treat because without treatment the immunodeficiency rises. “The majority of disease occurs in the advanced stages of HIV infection where immunosuppression is the predominant influence Hogan, C., & Wilkins, E., (2011).” Therefore for patient should seek early treatment and adhere to medication regimen to decrease progression of the infection and prevent further complication. Other issues that need to be address is measures need to be taken for early testing, without being tested many patient are able to transfer the virus from one person to another without even knowing. Early diagnose of the disease will give patient the opportunity to seek medical care and become knowledgeable of the step needed to take to prevent them from infecting other individual. Several states have now implement policies to test newborn babies for the HIV virus without permission of the parents. ----------cite.

The study was done using a prospective approach. HIV-infected women on zidovudine in 10 clinical centers were examined, and their children followed up thereafter. The follow-up was extended to a period of two years. Control of the study was women on ARV regimen excluding nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors. From the study, the researchers concluded the following findings; among those exposed to zidovudine in the first trimester,

directly influences the risk for or course of HIV-1 infection or is a marker for other exposurerelated

During the past decade, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has become a leading cause of mortality among women. This population is now accounting for the most rapid increase in cases of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in recent years. As the numbers of cases of HIV infection have increased among women, particularly of childbearing age, increasing numbers of children have become infected as well. "Various studies conducted to date indicate that between 1/4 and 1/3 of infants born worldwide to women infected with HIV have become infected with the virus themselves" (HIV InSite, 1997). This is due to the route of transmission known as vertical transmission, from mother to infant.

Results of this study showed that increased knowledge of exclusive breastfeeding increased the practice of exclusive breastfeeding. It was also found that basic exclusive breastfeeding knowledge increased with age. Babies who are strictly fed breastmilk in the first 6 months of life had a lower chance of contracting HIV compared to babies who received mixed diets.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus, HIV was first clinically observed in the United States in June 1981 in healthy young gay men, originating in Los Angeles, California. On June 5th 1981, the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), quite quietly, published an article describing five cases of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) in gay men in this region with two of the five already dead. This Morbidity and Morality Weekly Report (MMWR) issued by the CDC is the first reporting of the AIDS outbreak that was soon to follow. Once the report was issued, the CDC received 26b reports of similar cases of this pneumonia along with Kaposi’s Sarcoma (KS), a rare skin cancer, among the same demographic in New York and California. Because the disease was limited to the gay male population, and little was known about it besides the fact that it targeted the immune system, it was called GRID among the media standing for Gay- Related Immune Deficiency. By years end, 270 cases of severe immune deficiency in gay males were reported with 121 already reported dead. In 1982, the term AIDS, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome was first used by the CDC along with reporting a case definition to medical professionals and the public.a In the few years to follow, the CDC determined the other routes of HIV infection and transmission following discovery in infants and women and the World Heath Organization (WHO) got involved in the epidemic. By 1985, at least one case of HIV virus had been

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) continues to be an incredibly important health concern for not only the United States (US) but across the Globe (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2016a). In the US alone, there are an estimated 1.2 million people that as of 2013 are living with the disease (CDC, 2016a). Scientists believe that HIV derived and mutated from a virus known as the Simian Immunodeficiency virus which was prevalent in chimpanzees, during a time that humans were hunting and consuming chimpanzee meat (CDC, 2016a).

there is still some HIV in the body, the immune system is strong enough to fight off

HIV can be passed from mother to child during childbirth, through used needles and through blood contact. Approximately 101,200 people are infected with HIV in the UK.

Should a HIV positive mother breastfeed her baby? In 1985, the U.S. Public Health Service provided the first recommendations in efforts to help prevent HIV positive mothers from transmitting it to their child. It then was discovered that 1 in 7 infants of HIV positive mothers were in fact infected through breastfeeding (WABA.org). Perinatal transmission became the most common way of HIV infection in infants. In 2010 research advancements were made and showed that if the HIV positive mothers started receiving AVRs (antiretroviral drugs) throughout the time they are breastfeeding, the HIV transmission to the infant could be largely prevented. HIV positive mothers now have the option of breastfeeding if they are under the right treatment and can reduce the risk of transmitting the virus to the infant to less than 1% (CDC.gov). Those in favor for HIV positive mothers breastfeeding their babies argue that with the right treatment and precautions the mother can safely breastfeed her child. On the other hand those opposed to breastfeeding believe that although the HIV transmission from the mother to child could be largely prevented there is still a small percentage that the infant can get infected, and a larger risk of transmission in developing countries.