Sexual Assault Advocate Training Manual - Texas Association ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

S E X U A L A S S A U L T A D V O C A T E T R A I N I N G M A N U A L The ABCs of Viral HEPATITIS What is it? Incubation period (time from exposure to illness) How is it spread? Symptoms Percent who develop chronic disease Hepatitis A (HAV) HAV is a virus that causes inflammation of the liver. It does not lead to chronic diseases. 15 to 50 days. Average 30 days. Transmitted by fecal/oral route, through close person to person contact (changing diapers without good handwashing), anal-oral sex, or ingestion of contaminated food and water. May have none, especially young children. Symptoms may include light stools, dark urine, fatigue, fever and jaundice (yellow skin). Jaundice by age group < 6 yrs: < 10% 6-14 yrs: 40-50% > 14 yrs: 70-80% None Hepatitis B (HBV) HBV is a virus that causes inflammation of the liver. The virus can cause liver cell damage, leading to cirrhosis and cancer. 4 to 25 weeks. Average 8 to 12 weeks. Contact with infected blood, seminal fluid, vaginal secretions, contaminated needles, including tattoo/body-piercing tools, infected mother to newborn, human bite, sexual contact. May have none, especially young children. Some persons have mild flu-like symptoms, dark urine, light stools, jaundice, fatigue and fever. Jaundice by age groups: < 5 yrs: < 10% > 5 yrs: 30-50% Varies by age of onset of infection. < 5 yrs: 30-90% > 5 yrs: 2-10% Hepatitis C (HCV) HCV is a virus that causes inflammation of the liver. This infection can lead to cirrhosis and cancer. 2 to 25 weeks. Average 7 to 9 weeks. Contact with infected blood, contaminated IV needles, razors and tattoo/body piercing tools, infected mother to newborn. NOT easily spread through sex. It has symptoms, similar as with HBV. Between 30% with acute HCV develop symptoms and 20 to 30% develop jaundice. 75%-85% 215
S E X U A L A S S A U L T A D V O C A T E T R A I N I N G M A N U A L HIV/AIDS O ver the past ten years, the human immunodeficiency virus, the causative agent of AIDS, has reached epidemic proportions in America and around the world. It is estimated that, in the near future, everyone in America will have been touched by the AIDS epidemic in some form or fashion. One of the most frightening and life threatening problems associated with the epidemic is the possibility that the virus can be transmitted to a victim during an act of sexual assault. Victims of sexual assault often spend many years, or even a lifetime, trying to recover from such physical and psychological traumatization. Moreover, the trauma is magnified and prolonged by the fear of contracting AIDS as a result of the attack. HIV TESTING FOR DEFENDANTS: Over the past several years an increasing number of sexual assault survivors are requesting that perpetrators be tested for HIV/ AIDS. Texas law allows for testing of adult defendants and juvenile respondents. Article 21.31 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure grants the court the power to order, either on its own motion or on the request of the victim of the alleged offense, that an adult defendant, who has been indicted under Texas Penal Code §22.11(a)(1) indecency with a child (by sexual contact), §22.0112 sexual assault, or §22.021 aggravated sexual assault, undergo a medical procedure or test to show or help show whether the defendant has a sexually transmitted diseases or has HIV or AIDS. The Texas Family Code §54.033 gives the court the same power with a juvenile who has been adjudicated and found to have committed an offense under the same Penal Code statutes. The test results may be disclosed to the survivor and the defendant or juvenile. HIV POSTEXPOSURE PREVENTION Post exposure prevention (PEP) is the use of antiretroviral medications as a prophylaxis in reducing a person’s risk for acquiring HIV infection after exposure, unlike a vaccine, which prevents future exposures. It is perceived that there is a window of opportunity where the HIV virus can be killed before the immune system carries the virus to the lymph nodes, where it starts to multiply. Viral replication is believed to occur within 3 to 5 days after exposure. 216
Page 1 and 2: Sexual Assault Advocate Training Ma
Page 3 and 4: S E X U A L A S S A U L T A D V O C
Page 27: S E X U A L A S S A U L T A D V O C
Page 31: S E X U A L A S S A U L T A D V O C

Sexual Assault Advocate Training Manual - Texas Association ...

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?