Social media is alive with viral photos of hospital mattresses wrapped in plastic, aimed at preventing transmission by HIV-Aids patients. The friendly video attracted criticism from netizens. As many netizens expressed the importance of the transmission prevention protocol, there were also those who felt that the hospital visits were excessive and discriminatory.
So, is it true that a mattress not wrapped in plastic can be a transmission route for HIV, especially from patients to healthcare workers?
On the previous occasion, the internal medicine specialist in the subspecialty of hematology-oncology (Cancer) of the Executive Committee of the Indonesian Medical Association (IDI), Prof. Zubairi Djoerban explained that there are four ways of transmitting HIV. These methods include sexual intercourse, drug use, mother-to-child transmission through pregnancy, and blood transfusions.
Remember, Prof. Zubairi was the figure who discovered the first case of HIV in Indonesia in the 1980s.
“There are many transmissions of HIV/Aids, at least four. One is from sexual intercourse, both male and female, male. Then the second is the use of drugs,” explained Prof. Zubairi when he met detik com at PB IDI Dr R Soeharto Building, Central Jakarta some time ago.
“The third is from a pregnant woman who tested positive for her baby. The fourth is a blood transfusion, although now the risk is low because it has been tested,” he added.
HIV is transmitted from patients to healthcare workers, is it possible?
Finally, Prof. Zubairi explained that there was indeed a possibility of HIV being passed from patients to health care workers. However, this risk exists when the healthcare professional is accidentally hit by a syringe while closing an injection.
“The last chance is the least likely when we work in a health service to inject patients, when they close they get shot quite often but the risk is very, very low,” concluded Prof. Zubairi.
No recommendations for mattresses wrapped in plastic
In response to the viral photo of the case wrapped in plastic, former World Health Organization (WHO) director for Southeast Asia, Prof. Tjandra Yoga Aditama, stressed that this action should not reinforce the negative stigma often experienced by people living with HIV-AIDS. There has so far been no recommendation for the use of plastics in hospital beds for people living with HIV-AIDS.
“There are no specific standards for HIV patients, and they even have to use plastic like this information. Also, the problem of stigma in HIV must be avoided, because it will be very harmful for the prevention program,” stressed Prof. Tjandra in detik comFriday (16/12/2022).
Watch a video “AIDS and 10 common symptoms: dry cough-fever“
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(vyp/kna)
