European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 15, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                To your health Baltimore Sun. I n the decade since aids was recognized in the United states the illness has generated a great Deal of fear. But medical information Points to safer kinds of behaviour that can allay some of the fear. To get the facts about aids and transmission of the virus Baltimore Sun reporter Gerr Kobren talked with or. Joseph Horman assistant director of the aids administration in the Maryland department of health and mental Hygiene. Or. Michael Martin  at the University of Maryland. A or. Jonathan Cohn director of the adult aids program at University of Maryland Hospital. Spokesmen at the Federal centers for disease control in  is aids acquired immune deficiency syndrome is loss of a part of the body s immune system so that the person is unusually susceptible to diseases. A formal diagnosis of aids is based on the presence of particular illnesses such As pneuma Cystis Carinio pneumonia Tox plasma of the brain  of the Eye or Kaposi s Sarcoma and evidence of infection by the human immunodeficiency virus. His is the infectious virus transmitted in blood semen understanding the aids Sims Quot Onri Atsus attack virus macrophage cells detect enters body virus and Alert t4 cells is a \ to a m a Helper Quot t4 cells Alert b cells which produce antibodies against invading virus m aids virus attack virus virus attaches directly to enters t4"helper&Quot cells preventing body them from alerting b cells penetrating intot4 a Helper Quot cells the aids virus duplicate the t4 Quot Helper Quot cells Are destroyed As they spew Forth duplicates of the aids virus and vaginal secretions that disables the immune system leading to the Onset a sometimes years later a of the diseases seen in aids. How would you know you be been infected with his in the weeks or months after exposure people who have been infected create antibodies to his this is known As  in 95 percent of bases Sero conversion will show on a blood test known As the Elisa by six months after exposure people who Are still negative at six months might want to be tested again at one year just to be sure. A positive Elisa can occur for reasons other than his presence and the test is repeated to Rule out errors a second positive Elisa is followed by a test called the Western blot to be extra sure. Even before Sero conversion however a person who has been infected can transmit the virus to others. What is the incubation period the incubation period is the time Between infection with his and development of the diseases associated with an aids diagnosis. This can Range from two to 15 years. Fifty percent of people with his will have aids diseases within 10 years from exposure. Are there any earlier symptoms in 10 percent to 20 percent of people an episode of Quot acute Retro viral syndrome Quot occurs while the antibodies Are forming. Variously described As similar to flu a. Mononucleosis or meningitis acute  May be marked by sore Throat fever rash swollen Lymph nodes headache extreme sensitivity to Light stiff neck and abnormalities in the spinal fluid. What happens to people during the incubation period most people with his feel Good. Some however develop a disorder characterized by persistent swollen glands in several areas of the body. Can anything be done to delay the Onset of aids doctors can Monitor the White blood cells of his positive patients and when the count drops below a certain Point they can begin use of the anti aids drug at which seems to delay progression of the disease. What rules apply to health care workers with his or aids current guidelines of the centers for disease control in the United states say that any his infected health care worker with cracks or lesions in his skin should not do procedures that invade the body of a patient such As surgery. The american medical association says that physicians who have Sero converted or who have aids should Quot consult colleagues Quot about what to do and that decisions about whether his infected workers should do invasive procedures should be determined by Quot the worker s personal physician and. The medical directors and personnel health service staff of the employing institution Quot How is his transmitted. The usual modes of transmission Are. Through Oral anal or vaginal sexual Contact sharing of contaminated Needles or syringe exposure to infected blood or blood products exposure to infected Organ or tissue transplants from Mother to child during pregnancy in mothers milk. Since the eyes nose and Mouth Are lined with mucus membranes like the his susceptible mucus membranes of the genital tract those Are other possible routes of infection.  ����.�,.a in the health care setting transmission has been. Reported when the blood of an infected patient came in. Contact with a Cut or crack in the skin of the health care. Provider or when the health care provider was jabbed with a Needle that had been used in an infected patient. A theoretically a patient might be infected by a healthcare provider who dripped infected blood into a patients wound. A. A a. In fact transmission from health care worker to patient is believed to have occurred in Only one Case a that of a dentist who might have Given it to a patient in Florida and no one knows How that occurred. How Long does the virus live outside the body left alone it can survive for about three hours. Common household antiseptics such As alcohol and bleach will a inactivate the virus. To be Safe Sharp instruments should be scrubbed to get rid of blood or other body products then soaked for 10 minutes in Antiseptic. Sterilizing items with heat is not necessary to get rid of his. A a a How do you prevent transmission of his sexual abstinence. Maintaining a monogamous sexual relationship use of condoms when engaging in sex outside a monogamous relationship. Not sharing Needles or syringes scrubbing and disinfecting Sharp instruments. A in a health care setting Observance of a Universal precautions Quot wearing gloves masks Eye and body Protection by health care workers engaged in activities in which they might be sprayed splashed or spattered with blood bloody body fluids semen or. Vaginal secretions. In less invasive situations health care workers should exercise reasonable precautions a such As wearing a gloves a when they Are doing procedures in which they might come in Contact with blood or bloody fluids. Those measures also protect patients As health care workers garbed in protective gear cannot get their own blood or body fluids on other people. Are positive his tests reported to state health departments there is no requirement for reporting his positive patients unless they have symptoms of aids. However doctors must report patients who have been diagnosed with aids. Page 16 a a the stars and stripes tuesday january 15, 1991 /