Did I Just Contract HIV? Signs and Symptoms of HIV

It's sometimes possible to recognize when you've recently contracted HIV from signs and symptoms such as fever, rash, or swollen lymph nodes. This video will teach you how to recognize signs and symptoms of primary HIV infection that are experienced by between 40 and 90% of individuals after they are first infected with HIV. Primary HIV infection occurs during the first few weeks or months after a person first becomes infected with HIV. Symptoms include rash and/or fevers, possibly in combination with one or more of the following symptoms: malaise (which is a general feeling of weakness, discomfort, and fatigue), loss of appetite, weight loss, a sore throat, sores in the mouth, joint or muscle pain, swollen lymph nodes, diarrhea, fatigue, night sweats, nausea and vomiting, headache, or genital sores. The symptoms usually last from seven to ten days, and rarely more than two weeks. There is an incubation period of a few days to a few weeks between when the person was exposed to HIV and when the symptoms begin. If you have any of these symptoms and think there's even the slightest chance you might have been exposed to HIV, such as through recent sexual activity or sharing a needle, even with someone who you believe is HIV negative, you should see a doctor and ask to be tested for HIV. When you go to the doctor with any of these symptoms, it's very important to mention any risk factors you may have for HIV so they could test you. If you have ever had unprotected sex, even once, have used injection drugs, or think you might be experiencing primary HIV infection, make sure to tell your doctor. This video is freely downloadable from http://www.archive.org/details/aidsvideos_contract . Disabled accessibility: The transcript for this and many other AIDSvideos.org videos can be downloaded from http://aidsvideos.org/translate.shtml . Visit http://www.GlobalLifeworks.org and http://AIDSvideos.org to learn more. [Do you want to help prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS? Are you fluent in a language other than English? Then volunteer to translate our videos into other languages! Click http://AIDSvideos.org/translate.shtml to to learn how you can help!!! © Copyright 2007-2011 Global Lifeworks. All rights reserved. This work is licensed to be used for non-commercial purposes under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/.]

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