Page 20 - Layout 1

PREVENTATIVE
MEDICINE

Prevention

and

Management

of HIV

in the

21st Century

By Moses Alfaro, BSA and Colton Blinka, BSA

O nce thought to be an untreatable disease, HIV is now In addition to these prevention tips, there are some medications avail-

able to aid in prevention like PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) or PEP
largely preventable and manageable with new therapeutics
that have been developed since the AIDs epidemic in the
taken as a pill and can reduce the risk of contracting HIV by 99% when
1980s. While society has made great strides in developing treatments (post-exposure prophylaxis). PrEP is a prescribed medication that is
that allow people living with HIV to lead normal lives, there are still taken as prescribed. It’s generally recommended to keep using a con-
3
clusters of individuals who go untreated and mistakenly transmit this dom with PrEP to prevent other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs),
3
disease. Our article explores the numerous ways to prevent transmission as PrEP only works against HIV. As for PEP, this is used whenever
of HIV and what options are available for treatment if one is to contract you have been possibly exposed to HIV and should be used within 72
4
this disease. hours of the expsoure.

Transmission and prevention Diagnosis and symptoms
The way HIV is transmitted plays a crucial role in how to prevent Early diagnosis of HIV is paramount because it can aid in receiving
contracting it. HIV is transmitted through bodily fluids like blood, treatment that can prevent any complications or unwanted symptoms,
semen, pre-seminal fluid, rectal fluids, vaginal fluids and breast milk. 1 and it can help in reducing the spread of the disease to any other indi-
In the United States, the most common activities that lead to transmis- viduals. A common way that HIV can be diagnosed is through the
sion are having sex with someone who has HIV, sharing injection ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) test, which can detect
5
equipment (e.g., needles), or from mother to child during pregnancy antibodies to the virus through a blood draw. However, antibodies to
1
or birth through breastfeeding. the HIV infection aren’t produced immediately when you are infected,
Not sharing needles, using condoms during anal or vaginal sex, or so there can be a window of a couple of weeks where ELISA cannot
practicing abstinence by not having sex help in the prevention of HIV. 2 detect an infection due to the lack of antibodies produced, causing a
5
Some individuals might not be aware that these activities can post a false negative. If the ELISA is positive for antibodies, a western blot
high risk of contracting HIV, so its paramount to spread this awareness. test will be ordered to confirm the results because it is very sensitive to

20 SAN ANTONIO MEDICINE • June 2022