Imagine this situations;
You are a Nurse in one of the health facilities, you are struggling to inject a young child (you know how challenging it is to get a child to take an injection) and then you succeed and you are just about to dispose the needle, the needle pricks your finger then you are left to face the trauma and wondering if the child is HIV+. OR
You just left your office, its raining heavily and then you manage to get to the nearest bus stop, enter a Taxi and suddenly, you notice the driver is not taking the usual route to your destination. He takes you to a nearby bush, you try to argue with him and the other passenger tells you to “shut up”. They drag you out of the car, tell you not to shout or else you will be killed, and then they rape you and drive off, leaving you in the middle of nowhere and in trauma.
If you find yourself in any of the situations above, what do you do?
I heard the story of two young girls who were brutally raped and one of the girls turned out HIV positive and the other HIV negative. This was as a result of the differences in the type of treatment they received after the rape. Hearing the story and the type of treatment, I have decided to share this information with as many people as I can.
When Rape happens or exposure to an HIV infected object or person happens, we believe that there’s no going back but today, studies show that there might be a turn around.
Read This:
PEP stands for Post Exposure Prophylaxis, it’s a treatment that may prevent HIV infection after the virus has entered the body.
Here are some things to consider when you’re thinking about PEP:
- It could stop someone getting HIV
- It involves taking anti-HIV drugs for four weeks
- It must be started as soon as possible after unsafe sex or a condom not working – and definitely within 72 hours (three days)-the earlier, the better.
- There are side effects (Headaches, Nausea etc)
- PEP is not guaranteed to work (Not 100%).
PEP is a course of anti-HIV medication that needs to be taken daily over the course of a month. The drugs have been available for HIV prevention since the early- to mid-1990s for health workers who had ‘needle-stick’ or similar injuries.
More recently, PEP has been made available under strict prescribing guidelines to people who might have been exposed to HIV during sex. If you think you might have exposed yourself to HIV during sex it might be worth thinking a bit more about how HIV is transmitted.
For the treatment to be effective, it needs to be started within 72 hours of exposure. It can cause severe side effects such as diarrhoea, nausea and prolonged headaches.
PEP can be available from sexual health clinics and hospital accident and emergency (A&E) departments. You are more likely to be successful if you enquire at a sexual health clinic or A&E in a hospital where there is also a specialist HIV clinic.
PEP is not a cure for HIV and is not guaranteed to prevent HIV from taking hold once the virus has entered the body. Condoms and lube for sex remain the most efficient way of staying safe from HIV. Prevention is much more better than cure!.
PEP could save a life….it could be yours or someone close to you. Pass this information on.
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