AIDS stands for “Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome”. It is caused by a virus called “Human Immunodeficiency Virus”, or HIV. HIV is incapable of causing direct symptoms, but once the virus enters the body through blood vessels, they will begin to attack the “T4 Lymphocytes” (white blood cells and macrophages) reside within the immune system, weakening the immune system’s ability to self-repair. Meanwhile, some harmless disease such as pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP), which normally do not affect healthy person, begins their infection and thus turning HIV positive individual into AIDS patient. Currently, there is no definitive effective cure that can completely eradicate HIV virus, yet several adopted treatments have greatly expanded AIDS patients' life expectancy and quality of life.
HIV exists within the carrier’s bodily fluids, such as semen, blood and vaginal prostate secretory, which the infected person can infect other people through bodily fluid transmission. Besides, the virus count of HIV exists in saliva, sweat, tears and urine are insignificant to cause infection.
- Flu-like symptoms
- Fever
- Weight loss
- Fatigue
- Swollen glands
A person living with HIV may not have any initial symptoms and they cannot be identified by any external features, therefore only through HIV screening test, we can confirm whether a person has been infected.
At the early stage of infection, person living with HIV may experience:
Incubation Period
AIDS can take 10 to 15 years to develop after the infection with HIV.
Prevention
The definition of HIV prevention refers to no direct contact with HIV-loaded body fluid. Condom is a highly effective protection that serves as a physical barrier. Meanwhile, AIDS Concern supports a combination of preventive strategies to HIV (comprehensively use a variety of approaches) - recent studies show that PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) is one intervention additional to a whole range of HIV prevention tools, click here to learn more. Research indicates that PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis), if adopted within 72 hours of exposure, can reduce an infected person’s chance of becoming HIV positive even where HIV has already entered the body. Click here to learn more.
Early testing can help early diagnoses and ensure early treatment with proper medication. Regular testing is crucial to maintain sexual health and thus recommended to be done every 6 months.
Window Period
The window period is the time a human body needs to produce antigens and antibodies in order to show a positive result on the test. The window period is different depending upon the type of HIV test.
Our organisation uses AlereTM HIV Combo for HIV screening test. This test strip has the opportunity to detect some cases of new HIV infection through detection of p24 antigen within 15 to 28 days after infection. And there is a window period of 90 days for HIV antibodies. For more information, please refer to http://www.alere.com/en/home/product-details/alere-hiv-combo.html
Treatment
Infected with HIV does not equivalent to immediate medication treatment. Physicians will base on the virus count and T4 cell count to prescribe medication. At this moment, there is no definitive effective cure for AIDS. However, there are adopted treatments available to reduce the level of the virus inside the body, thus it is possible to postpone the development of AIDS and from other bacteria, and improve the AIDS patient’s health and quality of life. Once started, HIV medication treatment is life term (lifelong) and HIV patients will have to return to his physician or clinic for regular follow up to check the progress and make necessary modifications in the treatment.
Knowing that you are HIV positive can be a traumatic experience. Therefore, it is recommended to seek counselling guidance before you receive an HIV screening test. If you are HIV positive, try to maintain a balanced diet, exercise and rest to further boost your immune system to stay healthy. “AIDS Concern” is now providing free-of-charge HIV antibody and antigen screening test, please call 2394-6677 for enquiry.
Support to People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV)
As figures of HIV infection among MSM is still high, AIDS Concerns offers counselling, information and mental support services. Generally, newly diagnosed individuals face a lot of stress from medical, employment and family issues. If you need any assistance, do not hesitate to contact us at:
