Today it is difficult to meet a person who has not heard about HIV and AIDS. The majority, however, are sure that this problem does not concern them and will never affect them. For such confidence to be justified, in order to be able to reliably protect yourself and your loved ones, you need to know what HIV infection is today, in the 21st century.
In particular, the regional public organization “Integra” is engaged in informing the population about what HIV infection is, about the ways of its transmission and prevention in the Altai Republic. Now the organization works among population groups with an increased risk of infection under a state contract with the Ministry of Health of the Altai Republic. So do not be surprised if you see young people on the streets of Gorno-Altaysk offering to undergo express HIV testing, agree!
We often face such questions: Is it possible to get HIV from one time? What are the symptoms of HIV infection? Is it possible to outwardly determine that a person has HIV?
In this article, we decided to answer these questions.
So what is HIV? HIV – Human Immunodeficiency Virus, this virus attacks the immune system and lives only in the human body.
The routes of transmission of HIV infection are sexual, through blood, from mother to child during childbirth and breastfeeding.
You can get HIV from one sexual contact! The risk of HIV transmission directly depends on the amount of viruses contained in the biological fluid of an HIV-infected person with which a healthy person is in contact.
What are the symptoms of HIV infection?
As a rule, HIV is asymptomatic, and that is why it is dangerous. An infected person may not know their HIV status and continue to have sex, infecting other people. If you suspect that you are infected, get an HIV test!
There are three phases of HIV development
2-4 weeks after infection, flu-like symptoms appear: fever, sore throat, swollen lymph nodes, etc. This condition lasts for several weeks, after which the symptoms disappear. But they may not exist at all during this period. In the phase of acute HIV infection, there are no antibodies to HIV, and no test will show a positive result. This phase is sometimes referred to as the “window period”. This is why we advise you to get an HIV test every six months.
This phase can also be asymptomatic, but some infected people have the following symptoms:
- Fever for an unknown reason for more than a month
- Weight loss for no reason – more than 10% of the original weight
- Candidiasis on the mucous membranes of the mouth and genitals
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Chronic diarrhea
- Repeated pneumonia
- Recurrent herpes infections
- Herpes zoster
- Gynecological inflammation
- Night sweats
In the absence of treatment, the disease eventually reaches the final phase, which is called AIDS, or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). AIDS is not a separate disease, but manifests itself in the form of various rare infectious diseases and / or malignant tumors. AIDS develops about ten years or more after infection and can be fatal.
Outwardly, it is impossible to distinguish an HIV-infected person from a healthy person! Remember this and take care of your health!
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