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Living Positively: Pep saved her from catching HIV
Mary* on duty. Just like many health workers, her job has very many health risks, including exposure to HIV. Photo by Abdulaziizi K.Tumusiime.
What you need to know:
Mary’s* line of duty exposes her to all kinds of infections, including HIV. She got exposed to it, not once, but twice, but thanks to Pep, she and the child she was pregnant with during the second exposure, are negative.
Four years ago, after my first day at work as a laboratory assistant, I ran a novice and random list - in my mind- of some of the challenges and risks that came with my occupation. The likelihood of HIV infection not only failed to make it to the bottom of the list, but it did not even appear on the list (seeing that I was availed all the safety gear).
It was a novice list indeed. Because, two years down the road, I had a situation that made me update my occupational risks list; this is not an option.
Typical of fate, nothing about me or the day, suggested the shocker that was waiting to unfold. My job majorly involves drawing blood samples from patients and analysing it.
At around 3pm, I ushered in one of the hospital’s known HIV-positive patients to draw a blood sample from her and carry out a CD4 cell count. She prodded me to do it hastily so that she could rush and attend to her baby, whom she had left crying.
To draw a blood sample hastily was to bend my definition of caution on the job. But for the baby at home’s sake, I obliged. While pushing the syringe to pour the blood into the vacupainer tube, I did not notice that the point of attachment between the needle and the syringe was loose. Lo and behold, the blood splashed on my face.
I dashed to the sink, to wash my face clean in order to minimise the extent of the blood’s contact, lest I make it to the hospital’s records as one of their own who had been infected through occupational exposure.
While scrubbing my face, my heart seemed to have switched functions from pumping blood to the body, to pumping fear and nervousness to it. I was so worried, thoughts like “I am going to be remembered as the pioneer of HIV in my family” were running through my mind.
However, “Madame Patient” was the opposite of me, unbothered, perhaps convinced that it was a matter of washing off the blood and I’d be okay. When she noticed that I was taking long in cleansing myself, she mustered an unpitying “sorry doctor”, and out she went.
Despite cleansing my face of the blood, it left a burning sensation which took about an hour to subside. Thereafter, I walked to the doctor, and explained to him what had befallen me. He calmed me down and gave me assurance that all was going to be well. The doctor prescribed Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (Pep) medication, whose dose was to last one month.
Pep is a short-term antiretroviral treatment to reduce the likelihood of HIV infection after potential exposure to HIV-infected blood or sexual contact with an HIV-positive person. I had read about Pep.
However, I had doubts, since I had never met or seen a soul that had effectively used that medication.
While working at Hope Clinic Lukuli, Nagganda, a White colleague who was exposed to blood from an HIV patient while midwifing, had Pep prescribed for her.
Unfortunately, I stopped working there before she completed her dose. So, I never got to know whether it had been effective or not. But thank God, overtime, through counselling and support from my work mates, my cup of belief in Pep was filled.
When I returned home that evening, I told my mom what I’d gone through, expecting a shoulder to cry on. Instead, she shrugged her shoulder, and told me matter-of-factly that she knew that I was already infected but, that I was just making up the circumstances under which I got infected. It took the intervention of my colleagues at work for mom to believe my story.
I observed thoroughly the doctor’s prescription for the entire month. I was feeling weak and dizzy for that duration. I contemplated asking for leave but staying home, particularly, in bed, made me weaker. So, I continued working.
Upon completion of the dose, I underwent an HIV test. The results were negative. I continued carrying out HIV tests, monthly, over a period of six months. My results were negative. Then, I confirmed, to my joy, that I was safe.
Hardly eight months after I had declared myself HIV free, fate once again served me with a reason to worry. While drawing a blood sample from another of the hospital’s HIV-positive patients, I accidently jerked backwards. Before I knew it, I had pricked my hand.
This time, I was not as scared as it I was in the first incident. So, I washed my hands and went to inform the doctor. Important to note is that I was six months pregnant. The doctor, like before, prescribed Pep for me.
However, this time round, I reacted direly whenever I took the tablets. I almost had a miscarriage. When I told the doctor about how I was reacting to the medication, he advised me to abandon it. I resorted to carrying out HIV tests on myself, monthly, until I delivered.
All the results were negative. After delivery, the baby and I were tested, and we were negative. I embarked on testing over a period of every three months. I have done it twice, so far. And the results are still negative.
Friends and family members have urged me to abandon my job and venture into, at least business. But all I tell them is: I burnt my boat, period!
*Names have been withheld to protect her identity
As told to Abdulaziizi K.Tumusiime
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