Are you protected? Know HIV Symptoms?

Added: 12/19/2006

Many are under the assumption that unless you have sex with someone who is infected with a form of HIV, there is no way to contract the sometimes deadly disease. This information is not accurate. There are day to day situations that subject even the most unlikely person to the possibility of contracting an HIV strain. Let's look at the different types of HIV, the symptoms and the statistics. There is more to the various strains of HIV that you might have originally thought.

You’ve just been diagnosed with appendicitis. Your doctor tells you that he is sending you up to have surgery right away so as not to run the risk of the appendix bursting. He suggests that you donate some of your own blood before the surgery because you are a rare blood type. At that moment you have a acute pain attack. Not wanting to wait to be put under so surgery can begin and the pain can end, you elect to have a transfusion. Later, in the recovery room, thoughts begin the flood your cloudy mind. Did I just contract AIDS or HIV from that transfusion? You don’t believe that you refused the donation process…if only to keep you waiting a few more minutes instead of this worry.

The presence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus or HIV as it is more commonly called can be detected by a simple blood test. The blood test will determine whether or not an infection of HIV is present. This virus attacks certain cells in the body. This vulnerability can leave the body weak In this weakened condition, the body’s normal ability to fight off other certain viruses and conditions, like pneumonia, are lessened, leaving the person subject to more violent symptoms and difficulty healing from illness and diseases. The range of HIV symptoms are vast. HIV symptoms typically include fever, tiredness and sometimes, a rash. Headache, sore throat and swollen neck, arm or groin glands can also signal the possibility that HIV is present. There is a window period of two weeks, that being the time between contact with an infected person and when the HIV can actually be detected, that tests don’t work properly. There are many other symptoms that may be present and cause someone to seek out the care of a doctor. HIV symptoms are similar to those associated with other things, too. It’s always good to be tested as soon as you can if you think you may have contracted the disease. Some of these other HIV symptoms are: depression or other memory loss, night sweats, unexplained cough, loosing weight quickly, or diarrhea that lasts for longer than normal.

HIV is typically contracted when an infected person’s blood or semen enters the blood stream of another person. As widely though, sexual intercourse and the sharing of needles used to inject various drugs are the most common modes of transportation. However, there are daily occurrences that, though rare, have left people carrying the disease although they have never had sex with an infected person and they have never used a needle to inject any drugs.

If someone works in the health care field, it is mandatory to have an HIV series of shots to prevent this disease. Especially in the oral care field, the blood of an infected person can seep through cracks in the skin that are not fully scarred. This is why the widespread use of latex glove, though uncomfortable at best, is such a good idea. Government bodies that monitor this type of field actually require it.

HIV statistics show the most current data available is from the year 2004, and details the highest percentage of HIV sufferers begin between the age of 35 and 39. The largest portion of the HIV community is black, not Hispanic, making up almost 20,000 people total.

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