The key to this report is that the
woman and man need to seek advice of a doctor so that the woman does not become
HIV positive.
To explain this issue, we should go
back to the path of the HIV virus. It enters the body through vaginal or anal
sex. It can enter by oral sex or kissing though we are told the chances are
less.
The virus travels through the lymph
system to the blood and circulates for a number of days before moving into the hiding
places and the CD4 cells of the gut lining.
If the virus is attacked in the
blood, the viral load can be removed and the person goes back to being safe.
This applies to a woman raped who is
able to have ARV treatment within a number of hours. Check with the doctor for
the latest number of hours.
She takes the treatment for 28 days
and removes the virus in the blood before it moves to hiding places.
But
the same process applies to an HIV + man having sex with an HIV negative woman.
We read that a couple can safely have children though the man is positive +. This can happen but requires careful
planning and no mistakes.
An HIV man may be on ARV drugs for
the rest of his life. Is the virus killed and makes a negative woman safe?
There is still room for error.
The man may have broken his ARV
treatment and is now infected with immune HIV.
He
has to tell the woman that he is positive. They may safely have sex with a
condom. But to remove the condom is to infect the woman if the man is not on
ARV or has made mistakes.
To become pregnant first requires a
visit to the doctor who will explain the dangers to the wife. She is then given
ARV drugs to be taken directly after unprotected sex just like a raped woman.
She takes the drugs for 28 days. What
if she does not become pregnant?
Does she have to take another 28 days
of drugs? Can she have sex several times during the 28 day treatment? These are
questions to ask the doctor.
If the woman is already HIV positive
and pregnant, she has to take a lifetime oF ARV drugs.
This will keep her healthy though
infected with HIV. Her baby will be safe as the mother’s blood has a zero viral
load through ARV treatment.
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