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What vaccines should I get before traveling to a destination where malaria IS present, but yellow fever is NOT?

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What is the role of CDC-INFO?

The role of CDC-INFO is to provide reliable, consistent, science-based health information on behalf of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). CDC-INFO is not a part of CDC. However, the CDC has reviewed and authorized all of the information that CDC-INFO provides.

CDC-INFO also provides referrals to:

  • local health departments,
  • clinics, and
  • testing sites in your area.

CDC-INFO is not a consumer advocacy group. It does not enforce product safety or protect consumers' rights.

CDC-INFO does NOT provide:

  • counseling,
  • diagnoses, or
  • personal medical advice.

Please see your own doctor for these needs.

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How soon should I get tested if I think I have been exposed to HIV?

Most people develop antibodies to HIV within 2 to 8 weeks after exposure. The average is 25 days. Ninety-seven (97) percent of people develop antibodies within the first 3 months after infection. In rare cases, it can take up to 6 months. Antibodies are chemicals produced by the body's immune (defense) system to fight infection. HIV antibody tests measure antibodies to HIV. But, it can take time for the body to produce enough antibodies for an HIV antibody test to detect.

Therefore, if you have an HIV antibody test within 3 months of possible exposure and the result is negative, you should repeat the test at least 3 months after your last potential exposure.

Another type of test, called an RNA test, detects the HIV virus directly. These tests can detect HIV 9 to 11 days after infection. These tests are more costly and used less often than antibody tests.

Call to Action

CDC would like to remind you that you can spread HIV to others as soon as you get the virus. This is true even if you don't have symptoms and don't know you're infected.

If you've recently had an HIV test, it's important to avoid having any type of sex while you're waiting to find out your test results. If this isn't an option for you, be sure to practice safer sex to reduce exposure to blood, semen, or vaginal fluids. This will reduce the chance that you'll spread any virus you might have to others.

CDC Resources

External Resources

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Can you help me locate a STD testing site in my area?

CDC Resources

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Can you help me locate an HIV testing site in my area?

Many places offer HIV testing. Common testing locations include:

  • local health departments,
  • private doctors' offices,
  • hospitals, and
  • other sites set up just for HIV testing.

Some sites will test you without you having to give your name. Other sites offer types of tests where your name is used, but information is protected. If this is an important issue for you, ask the site what their policy is.

If you have questions about HIV or AIDS, it's important to be tested at a place that also provides counseling.

Counselors can:

  • Answer any questions you might have about risky behaviors;
  • Tell you about ways you can protect yourself and others in the future;
  • Help you understand the meaning of the test results; and
  • Tell you about HIV- and AIDS-related resources in your area.

If you don't have a doctor, we can help you find testing sites in your area.

You can also:

Call to Action

CDC would like to remind you that you can spread HIV to others as soon as you get the virus. This is true even if you don't have symptoms and don't know you're infected.

If you've recently had an HIV test, it's important to avoid having any type of sex while you're waiting to find out your test results. If this isn't an option for you, be sure to practice safer sex to reduce exposure to blood, semen, or vaginal fluids. This will reduce the chance that you'll spread any virus you might have to others.

CDC Resources

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Is CDC a regulatory agency?

CDC is not a regulatory or enforcement agency and does not make policy decisions. CDC conducts science-based investigations, research, and public health surveillance (tracking) both nationally and internationally when there is an outbreak (large number of cases) of disease. CDC makes recommendations that are used by state and other Federal agencies to make and enforce laws.

The only exception to this is with CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). NIOSH's only regulations are those that govern the procedures and requirements for the testing and certification of respirators. But, even the respirator testing and certification program is voluntary.

ALL TIERS: Provide the inquirer with the contact information for his or her state health department, if appropriate, and/or the external resource(s) listed below.

CDC Resources

External Resources

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What are the signs and symptoms of HIV?

The only way to know if you're infected with HIV is to be tested. You can't rely on symptoms to know whether or not you're infected. Many people who are infected with HIV don't have any symptoms at all for 10 years or more.

The following may be warning signs of advanced infection with HIV:

  • Rapid weight loss;
  • Dry cough;
  • Night sweats or fever that keeps coming back;
  • Feeling very tired for no reason;
  • Swollen lymph glands in the armpits, groin, or neck;
  • Diarrhea that lasts for more than a week;
  • White spots on the tongue, in the mouth, or in the throat;
  • Pneumonia (noo-MOH-nee-uh) (lung infection);
  • Red, brown, pink, or purplish spots on or under the skin or inside the mouth, nose, or eyelids; and
  • Memory loss, depression, and other neurological (noor-uh-LOG-ji-kuhl) (brain and spine) problems.

If you have any of these symptoms, don't assume that you're infected with HIV. Each of these symptoms can be related to other illnesses.

Call to Action

The only way to know if you have HIV is to get tested. If you think you may have been exposed to HIV, talk to your doctor. He or she can help you find out if you're infected.

If you don't have a doctor, we can help you find testing sites in your area.

You can also:

CDC Publication

CDC Resources

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How is HIV transmitted from 1 person to another?

HIV can be transmitted (spread) when certain body fluids from an infected person enter the body of an uninfected person.

These fluids include:

  • blood,
  • semen (cum),
  • vaginal fluid, and
  • breast milk.

HIV can enter the body if these fluids:

  • Are directly injected into the blood stream from a needle or syringe;
  • Come in contact with damaged skin, such as a cut or sore; or
  • Come in contact with mucous membranes.

Mucous membranes are soft, moist areas just inside the openings of the body, such as the:

  • mouth,
  • vagina,
  • anus (opening to the rectum),
  • eyes,
  • nose, and
  • urethra (opening at the tip of the penis).

In the U.S., HIV is most often spread through:

  • Specific sexual behaviors, such as anal or vaginal sex; or
  • Sharing needles with an infected person.

It's less common for HIV to be spread:

  • Through oral sex; or
  • From an infected mother to her baby, either before birth, or after birth through breastfeeding or pre-chewing food for her infant.

In the U.S., it's also possible to get HIV through:

  • Exposure to infected blood;
  • Transfusions of infected blood or blood products; and
  • Organ transplants.

But, this risk is very small, due to rigorous testing of the U.S. blood supply and donated organs.

Some healthcare workers have been infected after:

  • Being stuck with needles containing HIV-infected blood; and
  • Having infected blood come in contact with the worker's open cut or splashed into his or her eyes or nose, though this is less common.

There has been only 1 case of a patient being infected by an HIV-infected dentist.

Call to Action

The only way to know if you have HIV is to get tested. If you think you may have been exposed to HIV, talk to your doctor. He or she can help you find out if you're infected.

f you don't have a doctor, we can help you find testing sites in your area.

You can also:

CDC Publication

CDC Resources

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What vaccines should I get before traveling to a destination where BOTH malaria AND yellow fever are present?

CDC Resources

  • Travelers' Health 
    National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Division of Global Migration and Quarantine
  • Travelers' Health: Vaccinations 
    National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Division of Global Migration and Quarantine
  • Travelers' Health: Travel Notices 
    National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Division of Global Migration and Quarantine
  • Your Survival Guide to Safe and Healthy Travel 
    National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Division of Global Migration and Quarantine
  • Travelers' Health Yellow Book: Chapter 2: The Pre-Travel Consultation: Malaria: Malaria Risk Information and Prophylaxis, By Country
    National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Division of Global Migration and Quarantine
  • Malaria 
    National Center for Zoonotic, Vector-Borne, and Enteric Diseases, Division of Parasitic Diseases
  • Search for Yellow Fever Vaccination Clinics 
    National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Division of Global Migration and Quarantine
  • Yellow Fever 
    National Center for Zoonotic, Vector-Borne, and Enteric Diseases, Division of Vector Borne Infectious Diseases

External Resources

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  • Page last reviewed: May 18, 2011
  • Page last updated: May 18, 2011
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