Detectable antibodies usually develop within four weeks to three months of HIV infection. Some people have symptoms during this time. They are usually not severe. They include slight fever headaches fatigue muscle aches and swollen glands. These symptoms may last for a few weeks. There are usually no symptoms for a long time after the antibodies have developed with the current average span of asymptomatic HIV disease standing at just over ten years after point of infection.

Some people have many years of feeling well without any symptoms. Others have a series of infections and illnesses from the time that they are infected with HIV. If your immune system becomes severely damaged by HIV, you may go on to develop an AIDS defining illness. Many of these illnesses can be prevented or treated. Even after you have AIDS, you may have long periods of feeling well and not being sick at all.

You will be assured privacy and support to receive the result and counseled on the accuracy, medical and legal significance of an HIV diagnosis. there is now highly effective treatment for HIV, much of the counseling is usually focused on helping the positive person take the next necessary steps to receive follow up medical care and social support for treatment and healthy living with HIV. Referrals to Care Coordination Services, RAIN and other supportive services are offered.

First thing: Don't panic! In the United States, living with HIV is no longer an automatic death sentence. Many people are alive and well who were diagnosed many years ago. Although HIV can be life threatening, and you will have to monitor your physical health and have regular medical tests, there are many things you can do to maintain a normal life. It's important to learn all you can about HIV in order to keep yourself healthy.

If you live in Bermuda you should contact your personal Health Care Provider or the Bermuda Department of Health at 236-0224. Click Here for more information. In addition The Allan Vincent Smith Foundation can help provide you with the referrals and support you need. You should also consider the following guidelines:

There are many things you can do to help protect your health if you test positive for HIV. Seeking health care early and maintaining a healthy lifestyle can help a person stay healthy. Some specific things you can do if you're positive for HIV are: See a doctor, even if you feel well. If possible, see a doctor who is familiar with treating people with HIV. Health care providers can inform you on what tests and drug treatment are right for you.

If you test positive for HIV, the sooner you take steps to protect your health, the better. Early medical treatment and a healthy lifestyle can help you stay well. Prompt medical care may delay the onset of AIDS and prevent some life-threatening conditions. The Health District Office of AIDS offers an Adult Evaluation Clinic at the Ravenholt Public Health Center.

In the case of testing positive for the HIV virus, you must file a waiver application according to the above instructions. You must also show that your admission to the U.S.: Will not incur costs to any government agency without prior consent from that agency.Note: Individuals seeking admission as refugees from outside the United States are not required to submit documentation of individual eligibility for HIV treatment or health care coverage with Form I-602.

The first documented cases of AIDS was on the 5th of June 1981, in the USA, and five people were affected with the disease. However there were reported (but not documented) cases of occurrence of HIV in 1959, But not much information was gathered on the later event. REF: FIRST OUTBREAK OF AIDS

Approximately one-quarter to one-third of all untreated pregnant women infected with HIV will pass the infection to their babies during pregnancy or childbirth. But this risk is significantly reduced if the mother is treated with AZT (during pregnancy, labor, and delivery) and her baby receives AZT during the first six weeks of life.

For more information, call the CDC at 1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636). This service is available in English or en español. For TYY service, please call 1-888-232-6348. These services are open 24 hours, 7 days a week and can offer general information to help you discuss HIV treatments as well as other treatments with your doctor.

HIV can be passed on to an unborn child either in the womb or during birth as the baby passes through the birth canal. HIV can also be transmitted through the mother's breast milk. However, there is treatment available that can reduce the child's risk of getting HIV. All pregnant women should request an HIV test from their doctor.

HIV is a virus that is in your blood that destroys some of your white blood cells, also called T-cells. When your T-cells drop below a certain level, generally 200, you are diagnosed with AIDS. Sometimes you can have a co-infection like PCP Pneumonia that also gives you an AIDS diagnosis. Your nurse will go to you doctor's office, look at your chart, read your lab work, and get back with you to explain what your lab values mean. Your T-cells are the good cells that fight infection in your body.

Go for pre-test counselling and an HIV test. This test is free and available at the Hillcrest AIDS Centre Trust or any government clinic. Go for a CD4 count (this test measures the strength of your immune system. A normal CD4 count is between 800-1200). This test is also available at a local government clinic for free. However, the results take longer to receive and are back within approximately three weeks.

If you have tested positive for HIV, consider the following: See a healthcare professional for a complete medical check-up for HIV infection and advice on treatment and health maintenance. Make sure you are tested for TB and other STDs. For women, this includes a regular gynaecological exam. Inform your sexual partner(s) about their possible risk for HIV. Your local health department has a partner notification programme that can assist you.

A positive HIV test result means that you are infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Being infected with HIV does not mean that you have AIDS right now. However, if left untreated, HIV infection damages a person's immune system and can progress to AIDS.

You cannot tell your HIV status by symptoms. Symptoms for HIV may not occur for years after you become infected, so many people who are infected do not know it. Initial symptoms of HIV are very common and may be associated with a variety of illnesses. If you are feeling sick or having symptoms you should see your doctor. However, if you think you might have been at risk of getting HIV, you must get an HIV test to know if you did become infected or not.

Hepatitis B (all three doses), Hepatitis A (both doses), Tetanus, Influenza ("flu shot"), Pneumococcal ("Pneumonia shot"). Note concerning the MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccine: People with HIV who are severely immunocompromized may not be candidates for this vaccine. Discuss this with your health care provider. People born before 1957 are usually considered immune and one dose is recommended for those born after 1956 if that person has not been previously vaccinated.

However, you can still be HIV positive and immigrate to Canada if you are a spouse, common-law, conjugal partner or dependent child of a Canadian citizen/permanent resident and are applying under Family Class. This is because a spouse/partner and dependent child will not be medically inadmissible for conditions considered to cause excess demand in health and social services.

HIV can take up to six months to be detectable. Your body needs time to respond to the virus, and therefore the virus may not be detected till months after the actual transmission.

A risk of HIV transmission does exist if instruments contaminated with blood are either not sterilized or disinfected or are used inappropriately between clients. CDC recommends that instruments that are intended to penetrate the skin be used once, then disposed of or thoroughly cleaned and sterilized.

HIV, like most viruses, enters and remains in the bloodstream until it recognizes the certain kind of cells it can enter. Normally, your body uses white blood cells to protect the body from infection. The primary types of white blood cells are lymphocytes (also called T cells and B cells), which identify substances as foreign and build defenses called anitbodies against them, and phagocytes which surround and destroy the invading microorganisms.

HIV is a silent virus which slowly destroys the body's immune system. The immune system protects the body from infections. Without a properly functioning immune system, an HIV positive person can have difficulty fighting off common infections.

If you test positive, your sex and/or IV partner(s) need to be informed that they may have HIV also. The health department or a doctor may help you in notifying your partner(s) and getting them medical services. You may also be contacted to give the health department information about your partner(s). If the health department contacts your partner(s), your name will not be used.

The current HIV test - called the ELISA test - was developed in the Spring of 1985 to protect the national blood supply. All donated units of blood are currently tested for the presence of HIV. The test, though highly sensitive, was never intended to be a diagnostic tool. Consequently, a second antibody test was developed, the Western Blot. If a person's ELISA test is positive, the second test is conducted.