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Within 7-10 days of intially being infected with HIV, most individuals (80 to 90 %) develop an acute syndrome characterised by flu-like symptoms of fever, malaise, lymphadenopathy, pharyngitis, headache, myalgia, and sometimes a rash (Kahn and Walker, 1998). Within an average of three weeks after transmission of HIV-1, a broad HIV-1 specific immune response occurs that includes seroconversion. Because of the nonspecific nature of these illnesses, it is often not recognized as a sign of HIV infection. Even if patients go to their doctors or a hospital, they will often be misdiagnosed as having one of the more common infectious diseases with the same symptoms. Since not all patients develop it, and since the same symptoms can be caused by many other common diseases, it cannot be used as an indicator of HIV infection. However, recognizing the syndrome is important because the patient is much more infectious during this period.

HIV is transmitted various ways:
Sexual route. The majority of HIV infections are acquired through unprotected sexual relations. Sexual transmission occurs when there is contact between sexual secretions of one partner with the rectal, genital or mouth mucous membranes of another. The probability of transmission per act is between 1 in 53 to 1 in 10,000 for the case of receptive vaginal sex (Pilcher et al., 2004), 1 in 8000 in the case of insertive vaginal sex, 1 in 1000 in the case of insertive anal sex, and between 1 in 100 to 1 in 30 in the case of receptive anal sex.

Blood or blood product route. This transmission route is particularly important for intravenous drug users, hemophiliacs and recipients of blood transfusions and blood products. health care workers (nurses, laboratory workers, doctors, etc) are also concerned, although more rarely. Also concerned by this route are people who give and receive tattoos and piercings.

Mother-to-child route. The transmission of the virus from the mother to the child can occur in utero during the last weeks of pregnancy and at childbirth. Breast feeding also presents a risk of infection for the baby. In the absence of treatment, the transmission rate between the mother and child was 20%. However, where treatment is available, combined with the availability of Cesarian section, this has been reduced to 1%.

HIV has been found in the saliva, tears and urine of infected individuals, but due to the low concentration of virus in these biological liquids, the risk is considered to be negligible.

AIDS is the most severe manifestation of infection with HIV. Acute HIV infection progresses over time to clinical latent HIV infection and then to early symptomatic HIV infection and later, to AIDS, which is identified on the basis of certain infections.

You can get HIV at-home test kits at Walgreen's.

AIDS in Africa Hanson BETTER SOND ON NEWS POD

Aids Symptoms is a post from: Aids and Media.org

HIV Rash is a post from: Aids and Media.org

It may take several years for symptoms of HIV to appear. Some people who have HIV get flu symptoms within a few months after getting infected, but it is impossible to tell the difference between symptoms caused by actual flu and those caused by HIV infection. The only way to find out if you have HIV is to get an HIV test. Testing can detect antibodies to HIV within 3 to 6 months after someone gets infected. In fact, more than 98% of people who have HIV would test positive within 3 months after they get infected. Once someone gets infected, they can pass the virus on to other people within a day or 2, long before symptoms appear, and months before they would test positive.

HIV is transmitted through unprotected sex, sharing needles for drug use, and it can be transmitted from women to children during pregnancy, delivery, or breastfeeding. It is not transmitted through saliva or casual contact.

AIDS, HIV & STDs : Signs of Gonorrhea

Signs Of HIV is a post from: Aids and Media.org