AIIMA meet discusses HIV/AIDS

Jalandhar, June 22 

Advertisement

A monthly meeting of the All-India Integrated Medical Association (AIIMA) was organised here under Dr Harish Sehgal, president, Jalandhar unit. 

Dr Sandeep Juneja, MD (medicine) from Metro Hospital, Jalandhar, was the chief guest and the speaker on the ocassion.  The topic of discussion was HIV/AIDS. 

Talking about the disease, Dr Juneja said people may live longer if those infected with HIV get treatment. 

Speaking on dos and don'ts, he said, "Don't share personal items that may have blood on them. This includes toothbrushes, razors, needles for piercing or tattooing, and blades for cutting or scarring. Many people have been infected with HIV by sharing needles. PEP (Post Exposure Prophylaxis) is a way to prevent HIV after being exposed to it. With PEP, you take anti-HIV medicines as soon as possible after you may have been exposed to HIV to try to reduce your chance of becoming HIV positive. This could happen because of a sexual assault, or having unprotected sex with someone who has HIV, or sharing needles with someone who has HIV." He said, "One or more medicines are to be taken several times a day for at least 28 days. The medicines work by keeping HIV from spreading through your body. It should only be used rarely, right after a possible exposure. Your doctor or nurse will help decide if the PEP is right for you, depending on what happened, when it happened, and what you know about the HIV status of the person whose blood or body fluids you were exposed to."

Those present in the meeting were Dr Jaspal Vir Singh, Dr Joginder Arora, Dr PC Chauhan, Dr Rajiv Kalra, Dr Surinder Sharma Dr Rakesh Sharma, Dr. Rajvir Singh, Dr Shridhar Sharma, Dr JN Chawla, Dr Rajnish Anand, Dr HS Kalra and other members of the AIIMA.—TNS