I work in healthcare. It bothers me when people feel the need to do a full gown, gloves,mask, goggles, shoe covers, hair nets just to even walk into the persons room. I think what makes me very angry is when people say this person does not belong in a home, “there is a special place for people like him/her”
So please explain how it destroys the human body and what should I actually worry about.
I do not believe some of the PPE is necessary.
In: Biology
HIV does not “destroy the human body”. What it does it it attacks and destroys a specific type of cell in the immune system, which, over time, causes the immune system to weaken, making the infected person susceptible to infections that a healthy person could fight off. With a compromised immune system, these infections can be life threatening or fatal.
I don’t know where you work or live so I can’t speak to why people are using that level of PPE, but HIV transmission can only occur through contact with an infected persons blood, semen, pre-seminal fluids, rectal fluids, vaginal fluids, or breast milk. Saliva does not transmit HIV. If you’re a healthcare worker who might come into contact with an HIV+ person’s bodily fluids, gloves are sufficient protection, assuming proper cleaning and disposal of medical waste. Masks, goggles, shoe covers, and hair nets are unnecessary even to be in close contact with an HIV+ person, let alone just to be in the same room as them.
The PPE could, however, be for the benefit of patient, and I imagine that’s actually the case in what you’re seeing. People who have AIDS (AIDS is what it’s called when HIV destroys the immune system to a significant degree), are at a huge risk for contracting infections that a healthy person could fight off, so it’s important to limit their exposure to potential infections as much as possible.
The HIV virus causes AIDS, which is a failing of the body’s immune system. The immune system combats diseases that enter the body. Without an immune system, even smalls diseases like a cold could kill a person. I could be wrong, but I don’t think AIDS or HIV is what directly kills a person, but it is a disease which the body can no longer fight due to AIDS.
If people are dressing up in full PPE when around an HIV or AIDS patient, it could be because they are trying to protect the patient. Any exposure to a virus healthy people deal with all the the time could kill the patient.
HIV doesn’t destroy the body, it destroys the immune system, making the body more susceptible to more mundane illnesses.
Think of your immune system as a military base.
HIV as enemy spies/commandos that have been deployed and have successfully infiltrated your military base.
Now their job is to sabotage your base and take out all of your important personal and soldiers. With them gone, your base won’t be able to defend well against even small groups of infantry because your base do not have any commanders left to guide the recruits to fight back.
It attacks a special group of cells called T lymphocites, mainly focusing on T – helper cells which are responsible for organising a proper immune system response. Without them the immune system isn’t capable of defending your body from all kind of antigens.
>I do not believe some of the PPE is necessary.
It’s not really for your safety, it’s for the patient’s. HIV has a very narrow path of transmission (infected blood, mainly), but once it’s taken root and obliterated the immune system’s ability to organize a response to infection, asymptomatic carriers of anything contagious become extremely dangerous to the patient’s health.
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