The Big Two: HIV And Hepatitis B

Hepatitis B

Hepatitis B is the most common serious liver infection in the world. Not everyone who is infected with Hep B has symptoms, but when there are symptoms they are initially very similar to the flu. This means people who contracted Hep B may not be aware of it. Jaundice — a yellowish skin tone — is one tell-tale sign some people will get. Hepatitis B usually goes away on its own, but it can also become chronic.

Risks During Pregnancy

The main risk of Hepatitis B during pregnancy is transmission to the baby. Failure to follow the proper treatment protocol immediately following a baby's birth will lead to chronic Hep B in approximately 40 percent of all cases. That disease will prove to be fatal to a further fourth of those children, in the end.

Treatment

Babies born to mothers who are Hep B positive should always receive a shot of Hep B immunoglobulin immediately upon birth. This is shortly followed by the first dose of the Hepatitis B vaccine, and the baby should receive two more doses of the vaccine at one and six months of age. This treatment ensures that the baby is free of Hepatitis B. 

HIV/AIDS

HIV was the equivalent of a death sentence not that long ago, but modern medicine has come a long way in a relatively short time. With access to a good (social) healthcare system, life with HIV can be pretty normal. Still, plenty of people die from AIDS on a global scale, and your average human is terrified of the disease.

What is it? This article about sexually transmitted diseases is definitely too short to deal with all the ins and outs of HIV/AIDS. What we can say is that HIV is a virus that targets vital cells in the immune system. Without proper management, half of HIV+ people go on to develop AIDS within 10 years. AIDS causes all kinds of opportunistic infections and will eventually lead to death.

HIV And Pregnancy

Throughout this article, we have looked at the risks of sexually transmitted diseases during pregnancy and after a baby is born. Since everyone knows how terrible HIV/AIDS can be, I want to focus on the positive side here instead. Both men and women who are HIV positive can now become biological parents, if they have access to modern medicine. For men, a special sperm washing procedure follow by intrauterine insemination (IUI) can cut the risk of HIV transmission to their baby and their partner. And with antiviral medications for both mother and baby (after birth), the risk of HIV transmission from mother to child can be reduced to an absolute minimum — to around one percent!

HIV positive pregnant women and new mothers should always be under the close supervision of competent doctors, and should not breastfeed, as the virus can be transmitted through breast milk. Women who know they are HIV+ and who would like to become mothers should plan their pregnancy with their doctors. Those who find out they are HIV+ when they are in their first trimester of pregnancy can also benefit from antiviral treatment to prevent vertical transmission.

A pregnancy with HIV can bring a lot of worries and uncertainties, but it is a great victory that people who are HIV positive can now not only live a long and relatively healthy life, but can even plan to have a family! Still, it is important to emphasize that your safety, your baby's, and your partner's completely depends on the availability of the right medical regime and the support and supervision of a very competent healthcare team.