HIV Incubation Period

The HIV incubation period refers to the period between which the HIV virus enters the body and when the first symptoms of infection begin to appear.

This is the first stage of HIV infection, the time during which the virus travels through mucous membranes and into the cells and starts to cause symptoms. It differs from person to person, with some people showing symptoms as early as 2 weeks after contact with the virus, all the way to 7 or even 10 years.

This variation can be caused by several things. There are some people whose genes are generally stronger; they take a longer time even to come down with the common cold. Other people have weaker dispositions, and will come down sooner. Also, if there was already compromised immunity because of some other disease, it will take a much shorter time between transmission and onset of symptoms. In fact, studies have reported that some people may carry the virus but will never develop full blown AIDS. This however does not mean that they cannot transmit the virus to another person. Unprotected sexual contact with them will still lead to HIV and eventually AIDS. Babies also seem to carry a much shorter incubation period than adults, no doubt because their immune systems are still undeveloped.

HIV and AIDS are still under examination because they are not very well understood. In some medical circles, incubation is taken to mean the period between contracting the HIV virus and getting full blown AIDS.

It seems more sensible, however, for a layman to understand incubation as the period between contact with the virus and development of the first symptoms; the headaches, the malaise, the fatigue, the swollen glands and the flu. If you take incubation to mean this, you will go for a test much sooner, and you may be able to save your life by that simple action.

Waiting for the onset of full blown AIDS in order to seek treatment is not wise. You CD4 cell count is already so low, and your body so weak, that even the best AIDS medications may not be able to bring you back.

A sexual encounter with someone at the incubation stage is just as dangerous as if they were already past this period; their fluids will get mixed with yours and the virus will be transmitted to you. It’s hard to ask someone, especially before intimacy, if they are HIV infected. The only thing left to do is to always make sure that you stick to one partner and if you have more than one, always use protection. You may have one partner and sometimes you may have doubts as to how faithful they are; insist on using protection, and also on talking about the reasons why you have feelings of doubt.

Remember that if you arrest HIV at the incubation period by going for a test and starting on medications, there is no reason why you cannot lead a full and productive life.

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The Difference Between HIV and AIDS

Millions of people have died of AIDS since the disease was first isolated and named. Despite all the information that is available, there is still some confusion as to what the difference is between HIV and AIDS and the terms are sometimes used interchangeably. This, in the more strict medical sense, is incorrect, and even in layman’s terms, its important for all of us to understand the difference so as to understand the disease and its management better.

HIV is the virus that causes AIDS. It is the one that will be passed on to you in unprotected sexual intercourse, through dirty needles or getting a transfusion with blood that’s not been scanned. HIV belongs to a group of viruses called retroviruses, and they are slow working virus. A flu virus, for example, is different. It acts fast. Within hours of it entering your body, it will already give you symptoms. HIV is different, and has been known to lie dormant in some people for years before any symptoms are seen.

HIV enters the body through bodily fluids and travels through the mucous membranes. The viruses soon multiply and lodge into your own cells and start to slowly attack the immune system.  They will kill of healthy cells and weaken your immune system, causing compromised immunity. This deterioration, at its peak, is what is known as AIDS. It is the final stage of HIV infection, when the C4 count, the blood count that tells of the level of HIV infection in one’s blood, falls below 200. At this time, the infected person will have opportunistic infections that will not heal – the body is beyond the level where it can repair itself using the fighter white blood cells.

There are 4 stages of HIV infection, before one gets to AIDS:

  1. Right after infection, there is a period called a window. It’s so called because it’s the time between which the viruses enter the bloodstream and when they start to destroy the immunity in the body.
  2. After that comes seroconversion, when the body begins to develop antibodies to fight off the virus. This may manifest mostly as flu and feelings of general malaise. At this point, an infected person is highly infectious. Unprotected sexual contact with them would most likely end up in passing of the infection. The antibodies are fighting for you, but it’s a losing fight unless you are already diagnosed and under treatment.
  3. The third stage is called symptom free. There are usually no symptoms, unless the infected person already had other health complications before they contracted HIV. An otherwise healthy person will otherwise show no symptoms. It’s a stage that can last from 6 months to 10 years, and it’s never really been established why this happens.
  4. After this comes the final stage, AIDS. Suddenly, the person is continuously sick and displays all the classic symptoms of AIDS.

Now you understand the difference between HIV and AIDS. AIDS is a disease that is usually associated with our own personal responsibility towards ourselves. It’s rare that one will contract it through a blood transfusion. Unprotected sex and sharing of needles are the main culprits. It’s up to you to take care of yourself, and knowing the difference between HIV and AIDS will help you to do it better.

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HIV Symptoms in Men

If you are a sexually active male in this generation, there are few more important things than knowing about HIV when it comes to your health. It has spanned all corners of the earth and affected all kinds of people. It doesn’t choose between the promiscuous and the sexually faithful. It is indiscriminate and unfortunately, does not have a cure. You can only get medication to manage it and make life more comfortable by fighting all the opportunistic infections that come with it.

HIV Symptoms in Men

Today, all that we can do as men is to know as much as we can about HIV. What is it and how do we get it? Most of us already know this. What we may not know is the symptoms. HIV is a disease that works on your immune system by hosting opportunistic infections.

Opportunistic infections are infections that would attack even a healthy person, but when they get someone with a compromised immune system, they will not heal. This means that it’s easy to get infection after infection, and think that it’s just the regular infections that one gets. What will warn you that something is not right is that you will notice that they take a long time to heal and take a great toll on your health. It’s important to go for a regular HIV test so that if you are infected, you can get medication that will help you fight these opportunistic infections.

Equally important, as a man, is to know some signs of HIV infection. Look out for the following:

  1. Fever

Soon after infection, you will start to experience fevers that last a long while. Remember a fever goes both ways – you are either too cold or too hot. The fever will rise usually to around 1000F. If you notice this soon after having unprotected sex, see a doctor and tell them about it.

  1. Headaches

You will get mild to moderate headaches. These are tricky because many people suffer headaches on normal days just out of the day to day strains of life. They will seem not to ease completely with general headache medication so that you are always taking more. Again, this may be a sign of compromised immunity especially if you don’t have a history of headaches, so it’s advisable to see your doctor right away.

  1. Swollen Glands

Glands swell when they are laboring to fight an infection. Once the HIV virus is introduced into the body, it’s immediately recognized as foreign and the white blood cells want to flush it out. They can’t though, and that’s where the extreme labor comes in causing your glands to swell. Glands are usually where joints are found, especially in the underarm, groin and neck area. Again, swollen glands can be anything from a sore to tonsillitis. These are a little different though because they present with a degree of pain. In HIV infection, it’s unlikely that you will experience any pain.

  1. Fatigue

Your energy and stamina levels drop drastically. You are not absorbing your energy giving foods as you should, and whatever is getting absorbed is being used to fight off disease. Tasks that you used to do easily are suddenly very tiresome. You want to sleep early and there is a general feeling of lethargy. If this combines with any of the above symptoms, better be sure of your status. Go and get tested.

  1. Body Rash

Different areas of your skin will start to get a rash that eventually discolors them.  The rash may be raised or not, and will usually fade in a week or two. Sometimes it takes as long as a month. The discoloration should warn you that something is wrong.

These are all early symptoms, early signs that you need to have a HIV test. They may not necessarily mean that you have HIV, but its just as important to know what else could be causing you these symptoms.

Remember that HIV is now manageable and people live full and productive lives, but only if it’s caught early and you seek treatment in good time. You also need to be completely faithful to your medication so that your immune system is able to withstand attacks. Knowing the signs of HIV infection in men is an additional advantage. If you experience any of these for more than a week at a time, get yourself tested.

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