What are early signs of HIV that indicate that I should get tested?

Doctor's Answers 1

Thank you for the question.

Early signs of HIV can be look like that of an other viral infection or flu. Fever, body aches, headaches, sore throat, skin rashes, nause and diarrhoea are some of the commons that you may experience. You may also experience swelling of the lymph nodes. This can occur between 2 to 4 weeks after the transmission of the virus.

As these symptoms are very non-specific, it is important to consider testing if you have had recent unprotected sex or high risk exposure.

Similar Questions

What are the risks of receiving unprotected oral sex?

With unprotected oral sex, there is a risk of transmission of STDs, particularly for infections like gonorrhoea and herpes simplex virus (HSV). The throat can harbour the bacteria that causes gonorrhoea and this can spread through unprotected oral sex. For HSV infection, the risk of spread is highest if the person has a history of cold sores and has active blisters or ulcers. The risk of spread is significantly less in the absence of active lesions. Viral warts or HPV infection can spread through oral sex too.

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Answered By

Dr Colin Theng

Dermatologist

Can HIV tests be considered conclusive if they show negative results?

Thank you for the question. For HIV test, there is a window period, which is the period between the time of exposure to the time the test is able to detect the infection. For 4th generation HIV test, the window peroid is 4 weeks and for 3rd generation HIV test, it is 3 months. So with your 2 tests at 1 and 3 months negative, it is highly unlikely that you have caught an HIV infection. In recent HIV infection, the presentation can be very non specific, like any viral infection. However, years later, it can present with recurrent infections or unusual infections due to reduced immunity.

Photo of Dr Colin Theng

Answered By

Dr Colin Theng

Dermatologist

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