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Question:
How do you contract AIDS? |
Answer:
An individual does not contrat AIDS but rather HIV.
HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is a virus that attacks and breaks down the body's immune system - the "internal defense force" that fights off infections and disease. When the immune system becomes weak, we lose our protection against illness and can develop serious, often life-threatening, infections and cancers.
AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is the name for the condition that people with HIV have if they develop one of the serious infections connected with HIV, or if blood tests show that their immune system has been very badly damaged by the virus.
HIV can be found in the blood, cum/pre-cum, vaginal fluid, or breast milk of an infected person. An uninfected person can get HIV if blood, cum/pre-cum, vaginal fluid, or breast milk from an infected person enters their body and gets into their bloodstream. HIV can enter the body through a vein (by IV drug use), the anus/vagina/penis/mouth (by unprotected sex), other mucous membranes (like the eyes or inside of the nose), or any open cuts/sores.
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| 12-10-2007 |
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Question:
How long does it take before HIV appears in your bloodstream and can show positive in test results? |
Answer:
The tests commonly used to detect HIV infection are actually looking for the antibodies produced by your body to fight HIV, rather than HIV itself, it’s suggested that you wait at least 2-3 weeks after a possible exposure to take the test. This will allow your body to develop more HIV antibodies if you have been exposed and can make for a more accurate test result. Most people will develop detectable antibodies within 3 months of the initial exposure, with the average being about 25 days. In rare cases, it can take up to 6 months for detectable antibodies to develop. For this reason, the CDC currently recommends testing 6 months after the last possible exposure (from unprotected vaginal, anal, or oral sex, and/or sharing needles). It's extremely rare for it to take longer than 6 months to develop detectable antibodies. It's also very important during the 6 months between a possible exposure and taking the HIV test that you protect yourself and others from further possible exposures to HIV (from unprotected sex or sharing needles).
If your exposure was within 72 hours, you could be eligible for a study that might prevent the virus from taking hold in your body. The study, called P.E.P., or Post-Exposure Prophylaxis, would give you a course of anti-HIV medications that may decrease the odds of infection by 81%.
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| 04-05-2007 |
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