For the Doc a question?

I have read that AIDS ca only be transmitted through the exchange of fluids such as blood, semen or saliva. My question is in your opinion what are the chances of getting infected from:
1- A mosquito bite. Let's say the mosquito just bit someone who's infected and then comes and bites you.
2- Fecal matter. Someone who has it just went to the bathroom and didn't wash their hands, and then comes and shakes your hand.

I aint no doc but I know you can't catch it from the ways you mentioned..

AND THE ANSWER.........

We learn early on in medicine never to say "never" or "always" but in this case you can never get it from a mosquito bite or from shaking hands from someone who is infected.
The AIDS virus has been identified in tears and saliva but this is not considered a mode of transmission. The main methods of transmission remain sexual transmission, transfusion of blood or blood products (very low now) and IV drug use/abuse.

Reoc..Another question....

A friend arrives tomorrow from USA...wants to know if he can buy here Zanex or Xenex?..(something like Valium?) Does he need to bring written prescription or is it even available here. Just in case you are familiar with this medicine. Thanks

Re: AND THE ANSWER.........

if a mosquito can spread malaria and other diseases how come it can not spread hiv..

REPLY

I think you are referring to Xanax and it is a controlled substance and requires a special prescription from authorized physicians with DEA type numbers. Controlled substances are difficult to obtain even for legitimate purposes.

Re: AND THE ANSWER.........FOR JOHN

No it can't . From the start of the HIV epidemic there has been concern about HIV transmission of the virus by biting and bloodsucking insects, such as mosquitoes. However, studies conducted by the CDC and elsewhere have shown no evidence of HIV transmission through mosquitoes or any other insects -- even in areas where there are many cases of AIDS and large populations of mosquitoes. Lack of such outbreaks, despite intense efforts to detect them, supports the conclusion that HIV is not transmitted by insects.

The results of experiments and observations of insect biting behavior indicate that when an insect bites a person, it does not inject its own or a previously bitten person's or animal's blood into the next person bitten. Rather, it injects saliva, which acts as a lubricant so the insect can feed efficiently. Diseases such as yellow fever and malaria are transmitted through the saliva of specific species of mosquitoes. However, HIV lives for only a short time inside an insect and, unlike organisms that are transmitted via insect bites, HIV does not reproduce (and does not survive) in insects. Thus, even if the virus enters a mosquito or another insect, the insect does not become infected and cannot transmit HIV to the next human it bites.

There also is no reason to fear that a mosquito or other insect could transmit HIV from one person to another through HIV-infected blood left on its mouth parts. Several reasons help explain why this is so. First, infected people do not have constantly high levels of HIV in their blood streams. Second, insect mouth parts retain only very small amounts of blood on their surfaces. Finally, scientists who study insects have determined that biting insects normally do not travel from one person to the next immediately after ingesting blood. Rather, they fly to a resting place to digest the blood meal.

Re: other questions for ECH.

If you can be kind enough to explain to the public:
Why is it that so many patients who have full-blown aids symptoms and dying from AIDS but are HIV negative?
If HIV causes AIDS then where is the culprit in those patient?

This is a serious question and I would be very interested in knowing the answer. I have been asked this question and I must admit, i had found myself trapped. The answers that I have found from the internet from Medical sites didn't convince me enough. Maybe you can shed some light into this issue.
If you allow me I have additional questions:
why do we see so many men die from AIDS and rarely hear women dying from this same disease?
Why is it the gays who are the receivers get it and the toppers (male acting partners....injectors) rarely or almost never suffer from AIDS or even tested positive with HIV? If aids (or the HIV virus) can be contracted from sexual intercourse then why is it the males die from this more than women?
I am aware that this is not your field of expertise but your answers would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you in advance.

Re: AND THE ANSWER.........

Small point Doctor,spread not by drug use/abuse,but by the "sharing" of needles,syringes contaminatd with the virus during those practices.Criss I sound like a "Know-It-All" Sorry!

Re: other questions for ECH.

How can you post such a pile of "misinformation?" Your facts and figures are dead wrong. There are millions of women dead from HIV/Aids!Why don,t you move to South Africa?,the President and you both see no connection between HIV,and AIDS! Criss

Re: other questions for ECH.

OK I will give it a shot with the help from the CDC. You are absolutely right...this is not my field of expertise. This is in the field of Infectious Disease Specialty. If you want more information I have provided you with the link and there is a host of information there, complete with journal articles.

Nearly everyone with AIDS has antibodies to HIV.

A survey of 230,179 AIDS patients in the United States revealed only 299 HIV-seronegative individuals. An evaluation of 172 of these 299 patients found 131 actually to be seropositive; an additional 34 died before their serostatus could be confirmed (Smith et al. N Engl J Med 1993;328:373).

HIV can be detected in virtually everyone with AIDS.

Recently developed sensitive testing methods, including the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and improved culture techniques, have enabled researchers to find HIV in patients with AIDS with few exceptions. HIV has been repeatedly isolated from the blood, semen and vaginal secretions of patients with AIDS, findings consistent with the epidemiologic data demonstrating AIDS transmission via sexual activity and contact with infected blood (Bartlett, 1999; Hammer et al. J Clin Microbiol 1993;31:2557; Jackson et al. J Clin Microbiol 1990;28:16).

Progress in testing methodology has also enabled detection of viral genetic material, antigens and the virus itself in body fluids and cells. While not widely used for routine testing due to high cost and requirements in laboratory equipment, these direct testing techniques have confirmed the validity of the antibody tests

Most AIDS symptoms result from the development of opportunistic infections and cancers associated with severe immunosuppression secondary to HIV.

However, immunosuppression has many other potential causes. Individuals who take glucocorticoids and/or immunosuppressive drugs to prevent transplant rejection or for autoimmune diseases can have increased susceptibility to unusual infections, as do individuals with certain genetic conditions, severe malnutrition and certain kinds of cancers. There is no evidence suggesting that the numbers of such cases have risen, while abundant epidemiologic evidence shows a staggering rise in cases of immunosuppression among individuals who share one characteristic: HIV infection

You will find in the section on prevalence studies that in STD clinics (Sexually Transmitted Disease) the percentage of seropositive individuals were 2.7% for males and 1.6% for females. But the most interesting statistics of the prevalence studies revealed that of Job Corps applicants: among whites <0.1% were sero positive for BOTH male and female. But among blacks: males were 0.2% positive and females 0.55% positive almost a ration of 3:1 females over males.
AIDS is an equal opportunity disease. It does not discriminate against men or women or children, nor heterosexuals or homosexuals. The virus is not smart enought to know who is who! There are just as many mortalities among women as among men.
And the statement that "active" homosexuals are less prone to get AIDS than "passive" homosexuals is another MYTH. That is analagous to saying the male is less likely to get a STD being the "active" partner and the female is more likely because she has a "passive role".
There are many MYTHS abounding about the disease and the only problem with myths is that the misinformation can kill people. This is discussed at length by the CDC.
I think this is sufficient to answer some of the questions and if your interest is piqued....then check out the CDC link and discover for yourself some many interesting facts and figures and new discoveries.

United States: The CDC estimates that at the end of 1998 between 800,000 and 900,000 people were living with HIV and AIDS. Through June 2000, a total of 753,907 cases of AIDS had been reported to the CDC.
Worldwide: Based on estimates from the United Nations AIDS program (UNAIDS), approximately 47 million people have been infected with HIV since the start of the global epidemic. Through December 2000, an estimated 21.8 million children and adults have died, and an estimated 36.1 million people are living with HIV infection or AIDS.
UNAIDS estimates 5.3 million new HIV infections occurred in 2000. This represents almost 16,000 new cases per day. An estimated 3.0 million adults and children died of HIV/AIDS in 2000.

THESE ARE SOME SOBERING STATISTICS. ESPECIALLY THE 16,000 NEW CASES PER DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: AND THE ANSWER.........

You are right Criss. I should have been more specific. One does not have to be a druggie.......you can get it from contaminated needles used to give you a legitimate injection.

For ECH,M.D. - Queries

Hola Doc,
I will be travelling to PP in late January 2002 with my baby who'll be about 4 mths old. I have several questions:-
1) Is it safe for me to bring the babe before he receives his 3rd set of immunization shots? 2) Where are you based and do you practise medicine actively, i.e. do you have a medical office?
I intend to stay for approx. 3 mths while husbands awaits his visa papers.
Any advise will be much appreciated.
Gracias

- Queries and answers

Yes, it will be safe to travel with the baby. The series has been started and that is the important thing.
I am in Santo Domingo and no, I do not have an active medical practice currently. Although several are pushing me for an office and want me to abandon retirement!!!! I teach at the local university and I also teach residents surgery at a local hospital. Check out my e-mail ERNEST714@HOTMAIL.COM and I will provide you with a number in case you need advice or medical assistance. I am not a peditrician but I do know two in the capital that are American trained and board certified. I would not anticipate any problems.

Re: AND THE ANSWER.........FOR JOHN

thanks, i often wondered about it, gives a little more peace of mind.

Re: AND THE ANSWER.........

Thanks for the info. So I guess that means that there is no virus in fecal matter or urine?

people are not killed by "AIDS"

Even as you read there are millions of bacterium, and micro-organisms living in your body, your gut, your blood. These organisms are at this point harmless, because your immune system is normal so is able to fight them. When you contract HIV, youR body is weakened and this point these otherwise harmless bacterium become opportunistic pathogens. Opportunistic pathogens cause diseases such as pneumonia in HIV+ people. A HIV+ person with a drastically weakened immune system succumbs to these opportunistic pathogens. It is said that these people have "AIDS", because they have multiple diseases that are caused by an immune system that is weakened by HIV. AIDS describe a person with diseases caused by the effects of HIV. There is a connection from HIV and AIDS. But understand what actually is killing the person is/are opportunistic pathogens.

And yes there are MILLIONS of people dying from HIV/AIDS. And there is no need to look to S. Africa, because DOM. REP. has the SECOND HIGHEST HIV/AIDS infections in the CARIBBEAN. If anyone wants figures and facts I'll post them up by request.

The mosquito doesn't transmit HIV because.........

Like the Doc said, you can never say never. Here in NY there was a case of a young boy(#1) who shared a toothbrush with his friend(#2) who happened to be HIV-positive. Possibly the HIV-positive kid had bleeding gums and after sharing the toothbrush(they were having a sleepover) the kid(#1) caught HIV and eventually died.

I do know you can get malaria from the bite of a female mosquito. And the reason for this is because there is a parasite that lives in the guts of the mosquito. This parasite called a plasmodium enters you blood stream, eventually enter your liver and then penetrate your red blood cells. So is not a transfusion/tramsmission of blood from the mosquito bite, but a parasite entering your body.

In addition, the HIV agent attaches to your white blood cells. White blood cells are found in the blood plasma. So you need blood contact for HIV to inhabit and contaminate. And the mosquito doesn't transmit blood but enzymatic saliva.

When you have sex, the agent difusses into the blood system.

FINALLY THOUGHT OF A REPLY

FROM: Don Quixote de la Mancha, his servent, Sancho says, ?whether the rock hits the pitcher or the pitcher hits the rock.........it is going to be bad for the pitcher.?