Immune System Disorders

HIV tests can identify HIV antibodies in the blood as early as two weeks after infection, but the body may take up to six months to make a measurable amount of antibodies. The average time is 25 days. When HIV antibodies are present in your bloodstream, a person is HIV positive. What If The Test

HIV testing involves having your blood, urine, or saliva tested to see if you are infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS. AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency (or immune deficiency) syndrome. It is a disease in which a virus attacks the body’s immune system that normally fights off diseases. Medication is available

The CDC recommends people should have an HIV test if they answer “yes” to one or more of the following questions: Having three or more sexual partners in the last 12 months Have received a blood transfusion prior to 1985, or have a sexual partner received a transfusion and later tested positive for HIV Not sure about

The main tests used for detecting HIV infection are blood tests: Enzyme immunoassay (EIA) This test is widely used by just about all HIV testing programs. It is highly accurate but no test is 100 percent accurate. Accuracy depends on following proper procedures as well as the person’s stage of infection. That is why all

Deciding where to go for counseling and testing depends on the area where you live. There are different counseling and testing places from which to choose. These options include: Publicly funded HIV testing centers Community health clinics Sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinics Family planning clinics Hospital clinics Drug treatment facilities TB clinics A doctor’s office

Here are some frequently asked questions related to HIV and AIDS: Q: Is infection with HIV the same thing as AIDS? A: Infection with HIV means the person has been infected with the virus that causes AIDS. This is called HIV positive. AIDS is when a person suffers from diseases like rare cancers and infections that healthy people

Here is a summary of the important facts and information related to HIV testing and counseling: When a person is infected with HIV, it may be several weeks before the person tests positive for HIV. That’s because it takes time to develop antibodies to HIV, which is what the tests check for. The most commonly used tests

Here are definitions of medical terms related to HIV and AIDS: AIDS: Acquired immunodeficiency (or immune deficiency) syndrome, an advanced stage of a viral infection caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Antibodies: Proteins produced by the immune system to fight infectious agents, such as viruses. Antigen: A substance that stimulates the production of antibodies. AZT: An antiretroviral drug

Here are some reliable sources that can provide more information on HIV and AIDS: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1-800-311-3435 http://www.cdc.gov/ U.S. National Library of Medicine MedlinePlus http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/aids.html FDA List of Licensed and Approved HIV Tests http://www.fda.gov/cber/products/testkits.htm AIDS.org http://www.aids.org National AIDS Hotline operated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1-800-342-AIDS