What a great blunder: Unknowingly disregarding the standard testing protocol for a patient exposed to a possible HIV infection
1 Department of Family Medicine, Delta State University Teaching Hospital, P. M. B. 07, Oghara, Nigeria.
2 Department of Surgery, Delta State University Teaching Hospital, P. M. B. 07, Oghara, Nigeria.
Review
World Journal of Advanced Pharmaceutical and Medical Research, 2022, 03(01), 001–005.
Article DOI: 10.53346/wjapmr.2022.3.1.0027
Publication history:
Received on 14 March 2022; revised on 26 April 2022; accepted on 28 April 2022
Abstract:
The world globally is presently saddled with a pandemic that started un-announced but subtly and progressively become a world-wide health concern. This is the general sequence of the Covid-19 pandemic that started locally in one city but had spread to affect all nations of the world with a loud roar.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection likewise started as a localized unexplained disease manifestation which was aggressively investigated and the causative virus was eventually identified and subsequently isolated. What initially seemed then to be a local disease was eventually reported gradually over-time to be seen all over the world. It was seen in both males and females and the original questions’ was to ascertain the routes of the spread of the virus between humans and possibly other primates, and to identify the reservoirs of the now known causative organism of the new human disease.
On a regular basis, the sign and symptoms of the disease were manifesting and reported and several routes of transmission identified and reported. Among such numerous routes include but not excluding having unprotected sexual intercourse, transfusion of untested tainted blood donated by an active carrier of the virus, inadvertent needle pricks of a health worker, sharing of needles and syringes by drug abusing persons, unsterile tatooing instruments, use of common manicure/pedicure instruments.
Rape or Sexual Assault (SA) is a problem that is reported from all nations of the world. It is probably grossly under reported, and can even be described as a pandemic because of its world-wide spread. The activities of SA has been known to be capable of transmitting disease from one person to the other, and HIV can be transmitted from the assailant to the victim and/or vice-versa of the victim is the infected one. It is based on this revelation of a potential transmission of HIV through this route that a protocol of testing of victims of this horrific crime was developed. So, what happens when a victim was not properly tested, the assailant not seen and not tested, the victim not placed on the available post-exposure prophylaxis but was re-assured and told “not to worry” that “all is well” and sent away.
Keywords:
Rape; HIV Testing; Post-Exposure Prophylaxis
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