SRHR and Ending HIV : Can one be achieved without the other ?

This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Mr. Babu Chaudhary, a student at Baroda Medical College, Vadodara, Gujarat, India. He is affiliated to the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting. The opinions expressed in this piece belong strictly to the writer and do not necessarily reflect IFMSA’s view on the topic, nor The European Sting’s one.

What is sexual and reproductive health(SRH) ?

Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) is an essential component of the universal right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in other international human rights conventions, declarations, and consensus agreements. Sexual and reproductive health needs must be met for both men and women. Human rights standards require states to respect, protect, and fulfill the right to sexual and reproductive health, and states must also ensure that individuals have the opportunity to actively participate in the development of health care policy and in individual care decisions – including determining whether and when to have children and in protecting the rights of others to sexual and reproductive health, including through ensuring violence-­‐free relationships and homes and in seeking information, education, and care for one’s children.

What are sexual and reproductive rights ?

Sexual and reproductive health rights — including access to sexual and reproductive health care and information, as well as autonomy in sexual and reproductive decision-making — are human rights; they are universal, indivisible, and undeniable. Such rights are grounded in other essential human rights, including the right to health, the right to be free from discrimination, the right to privacy, the right not to be subjected to torture or ill‐treatment, the right to determine the number and spacing of one’s children, and the right to be free from sexual violence.

HIV : Prevention and Control

• People can get or transmit HIV only through specific activities, such as through sex or injection drug use. HIV can be transmitted only in certain body fluids from a person who has HIV. These fluids are blood, semen, pre-seminal fluids, rectal fluids, vaginal fluids, and breast milk.
• To reduce your risk of HIV, use condoms correctly every time you have sex. Don’t inject drugs. If you do, use only sterile injection equipment and water and never share your equipment with others.
• If you don’t have HIV but are at risk of getting HIV, talk to your health care provider about pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). PrEP involves taking a specific HIV medicine every day to reduce the risk of getting HIV through sex or injection drug use.

How is HIV transmitted ?

The person-to-person spread of HIV is called HIV transmission. People can get or transmit HIV only through specific activities, such as through sex or injection drug use. HIV can be transmitted only in certain body fluids from a person who has HIV:

Blood, Semen, Pre-seminal fluids, Rectal fluids, Vaginal fluids, Breast milk Etc.

.

How can We reduce the risk of getting HIV ?

Anyone can get HIV, but you can take steps to protect yourself from HIV.

• Get tested for HIV before have sex.
• Choose less risky sexual behaviors.
• Use condoms every time you have sex.
• Limit your number of sexual partners.
• Get tested and treated for STDs.
• Don’t inject drugs.

About the author

Babu Chaudhary is a student at Baroda Medical College, Vadodara, Gujarat, India. He is an active member of Medical Student Association of India (MSAI) and likes to volunteer for different national and international events. He thinks medicine is a very pious profession and we can help thousands of people and wants to make the whole world a better place to live in for everyone. He is always trying something new because he believes that Learning is the beginning of health. Learning is the beginning of spirituality. Searching and learning is where the miracle process all begins.