8 pointers that tell you may be having HIV

   As we all know,  HIV is a deadly disease that steals your peace away, almost completely, once you have it. Today,  I will be sharing with you the signs that indicate that you might be having this unremovable virus in your system.

WHAT IS HIV?

“HIV” stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. To understand what that means, let’s break it down:

H – Human – This virus affects humans alone.

I – Immunodeficiency – It weakens your immune system by destroying important cells that fight disease and infection. An immune system that is "deficient" can't protect you.

V – Virus – A virus can only reproduce itself by taking over a cell in the body of its host.

   HIV is a lot like other viruses. But there is an important difference – over time, your immune system can clear most viruses out of your body. That isn't the case with HIV – the human immune system can't seem to get rid of it. That means that once you have HIV, you have it for life. HIV infection can lead to AIDS, the final stage of HIV infection . However, not everyone who has HIV progresses to AIDS. With proper treatment , called “antiretroviral therapy” (ART), you can keep the level of HIV virus in your body low. ART is theuse of HIV medicines to fight HIV infection. It involves taking a combination of HIV medicines every day.

“AIDS” stands for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome . Now, to the pointers that speak of the possibility of being HIV positive.

Within 2-4 weeks after HIV infection, many, but not all, people experience :

 1. flu-like symptoms,

often described as the “worst flu ever.” This is

called “acute retroviral syndrome” (ARS) or “primary HIV infection"

2. Fever (this is the most common symptom)

3. Swollen glands

4. Sore throat

5. Rash

6. Fatigue

7. Muscle and joint aches and pains

8. Headache

These symptoms can last anywhere from a few days to several weeks. However, you should not

assume you have HIV if you have any of these symptoms. Each of these symptoms can be

caused by other illnesses.

       Many people who are infected with HIV do not have any symptoms at all for 10 years or more.You cannot rely on symptoms to know whether you have HIV. The only way to know for sure if you are infected with HIV is to get tested. If you think you have recently been exposed to HIV—if you have had oral, vaginal or anal sex without a condom with a known HIV positive person or a partner whose HIV status you do not know or shared needles to inject drugs—get an HIV test. Traditional HIV tests detect HIV antibodies. But during this early stage your body is not yet producing these antibodies.

       A new HIV test was approved in 2013 that can detect the presence of HIV in your body during this early stage of infection. So no matter where you get tested, it is very important to let your provider know that you may have been recently infected with HIV and you would like to be tested for acute HIV.

  It is important to know your status.

   Get tested today!

Stay healthy, Stay Strong.

_Nimisire