married, but in a steady relationship also stop using condoms.
This false sense of security is to blame for some new HIV infections in steady relationships.
John (50) is in a second marriage. When he settled down with his second wife the two decided not to have more children. Both had children from their previous unions.
The two dated for over three years before they married and both had taken an HIV test and had tested negative.
They were advised to come back after six months for another test and make sure that they were not in the window period during the initial test.
They were advised to use some form of protection.
A window period is when the virus is in existence but is not detected. After some time the virus becomes detectable. When a person is infected with HIV, their body responds by producing special proteins called antibodies that fight infection.
“Most people develop detectable HIV antibodies within six to 12 weeks of infection.
“In very rare cases, it can take up to six months and there are nearly always very particular reasons for antibodies developing so late such as other auto-immune disorders. It is exceedingly unlikely that someone would take longer than six months to develop antibodies,” said Avert, an HIV and Aids Charity registered in the UK.
“A negative test at three months will almost always mean a person is not infected with HIV. If an individual’s test is still negative at six months, and they have not been at risk of HIV infection in the meantime, it means they are not infected,” Avert further states. It is very important to note that if a person is infected with HIV, they can still transmit the virus to others during the window period.
After six months John and his wife went back for HIV testing. John tested HIV negative and the wife tested positive. This shocked the two who were having unprotected sex for some time. John promised to remain in the union as he trusted his wife and loved her.
“The HIV test result will not separate us. Our different statuses will not be a barrier to our love,” he said.
John’s wife said she was baffled by the results as she only had sex with him since they started dating.
“I do not understand how that came to be. I could have been HIV positive all along but did not know,” she said.
There are baffling cases when one partner remains HIV negative despite having unprotected sex for years. John and his wife are a case in point.
The wife has now been commenced on ART for her own good and to also protect the spouse.
It has been proven that the use of ARVs can lessen the risk of transmission in discordant couples.
In a statement, UNAids welcomed further evidence of the positive impact of antiretroviral therapy on preventing new HIV infections. Researchers from the Africa Centre for Health and Population Studies have presented results which show that in areas where antiretroviral therapy uptake is high (greater than 30 percent) people who do not have HIV are 38 percent less likely to acquire the virus than in areas of low uptake (less than 10 percent).
“These findings are extremely important. UNAids encourages all countries and communities to achieve high coverage of anti-retroviral therapy, both for the benefit of people living with HIV and for the communities in which they live,” said Paul De Lay, Deputy Executive Director, Programme, Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/Aids (UNAids).
It is the first time the positive impact of anti-retroviral therapy on HIV incidence has been demonstrated in a community setting. The findings also confirm results from the recent study, which showed that if an HIV-positive person adheres to an effective anti-retroviral therapy regimen, the risk of transmitting the virus to their uninfected sexual partner can be reduced by 96 percent.
The study used HIV surveillance data collected since 2003 in a rural area of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. In the study area, 20 000 people living with HIV had accessed anti-retroviral therapy since 2004 through public-sector primary health care.
More than 16 500 HIV negative people living in the study area were followed from 2004 to 2011 though population-based HIV surveillance.
During the study period 1 413 people were newly infected with HIV — an incidence rate of 2,6 percent. In areas where more than 30 percent of all people living with HIV were receiving anti-retroviral therapy, the incidence rate was significantly lower compared to areas where less than 10 percent of all people living with HIV were accessing treatment. Holding other risk factors constant, people were nearly 40 percent less likely to acquire HIV in the “high uptake” areas, the study noted.
Health care workers are encouraged to empower couples to care for, support and protect each other when facing catastrophic diagnosis such as HIV infection especially in discordance cases.
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