Clarifiction on std's?!
Question:
Clarifiction on std's?
if u cought some type of std from an hiv positive what are the chances of getting hiv infection
Answers:
HIV is a virus that damages a person's immune system, the body's defence against disease. A person infected with HIV is infected for life - there's no cure. Being infected with HIV is often referred to as being HIV-positive.
HIV can only be passed on if infected blood, semen, vaginal fluids or breast milk get inside another person's body. The two main ways in which a person can become infected are:
* Vaginal or anal sexual intercourse (without a condom) with an infected person
* Using a needle or syringe that's already been used by someone who's infected
An infected pregnant woman can also pass the virus to her unborn baby, before or during the birth, or through breastfeeding. Improved treatment and care for women with HIV means far fewer children are now born with HIV in the UK.
Other potential routes of transmission include:
* Giving and receiving first aid, although transmission will only occur if significant amounts of HIV-infected blood pass from one person to another
* Contact with used needles and syringes, if infected blood is transferred
* Giving and receiving oral sex, although there are very few proven instances of this, and generally, transmission will only occur if a person has cuts or sores in their mouth
* Seeing a dentist, doctor or nurse, although it's extremely rare for HIV to be passed from a healthcare professional to a patient, as all medical instruments are sterilised or used only once
* In extremely rare cases, through fighting or biting
* Kissing, although generally this won't pass on HIV as saliva doesn't contain a high enough concentration of HIV, and the only risk would be if both people had noticeably bleeding cuts and sores in their mouths
* Sport, if HIV-infected blood gets into a wound or cut
The first symptoms of HIV infection can resemble symptoms of common cold or flu viruses. The symptoms of early infection can also be similar to the symptoms of other sexually transmitted diseases and other infections such as "mono" or hepatitis, which are much more commonly and more easily transmitted. Stress and anxiety can also produce symptoms in some people, even though they do not have HIV.
Some people who contract HIV experience very strong symptoms, but others experience none at all. Those who do have symptoms generally experience fever, fatigue, and, often, rash. Other common symptoms can include headache, swollen lymph nodes, and sore throat. These symptoms can occur within days or weeks of the initial exposure to the virus during a period called primary or acute HIV infection.
Because of the nonspecific symptoms associated with primary or acute HIV infection, symptoms are not a reliable way to diagnose HIV infection. Testing for HIV antibodies is the only way to know whether you have been infected; however, the HIV antibody test only works after the infected person's immune system develops antibodies to HIV. During the "window period" between the initial infection and the period in which antibodies are detectable (which can be from 2 weeks to 6 months, but is usually 3 months), standard HIV testing is ineffective.
If you are concerned that you may have recently acquired HIV and have symptoms described above, see a doctor. A doctor or other health care professional can help determine whether you may be infected with HIV or another infection. If HIV infection is suspected, he or she may perform a Polymerase Chain Reaction (commonly called "PCR") test to determine whether HIV is present in the blood.
Once the primary or acute infection is over, most people do not experience any visible symptoms for another 8-10 years. Left untreated, the immune system becomes increasingly weaker and the disease progresses to AIDS. The next symptoms experienced by individuals infected with the virus are often associated with the "opportunistic infections" that target individuals with AIDS such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, and toxoplasmosis.