R. P. Tiwari

HIV and AIDS: Basic Elements and Priorities

HIV and AIDS :basic elements and priorities , HIV and AIDS :basic elements and priorities , مرکز فناوری اطلاعات و اطلاع رسانی کشاورزی

Infection Control Methods

Infection control involves good housekeeping (sanitation and dust control), hand washing, using personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves, and using natural, physical, or chemical methods to make the environmental conditions detrimental for pathogens. The type of likely pathogens should be considered while choosing the type of disinfection. Nearly all the chemical disinfectants are toxic or harmful to the eyes, skin, and lungs. Sterilisation is recommended for critical items that are directly introduced into the blood stream or into the normally sterile areas of the body. Semicritical items come in contact with mucous membranes, do not ordinarily penetrate body surfaces, and require high level chemical disinfection. Non-critical items that do not come in contact with the patients or touch their intact skin only, require general housekeeping measures like washing with detergents and water. The basic principle of universal biosafety precautions is that blood and body fluids from all patients ought to be considered as potentially infected, irrespective of their serological status. These precautions should be followed during patient care and handling of dead bodies in health care settings.

Co-Infection with HIV and Tuberculosis

As compared to their HIV negative counterparts, HIV positive individuals infected by Tubercle bacillus, have about 10 times higher risk of progression from latent to clinically active tuberculosis. In India, the strategy of HIV testing of all newly diagnosed tuberculosis patients is neither feasible nor cost-effective, due to the large number of new cases of tuberculosis that are detected each year. The standard treatment regimens used in the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP), are equally effective in HIV positive patients. Directly Observed Treatment, Short Course (DOTS) strategy has been shown to improve survival of patients with co-infection. Concurrent treatment with protease inhibitors can either reduce activity or prolong half-life of rifampicin. Chemoprophylaxis against tuberculosis is currently not recommended in India.