AIDS usually starts with HIV infection. Through thorough studies and researches, it has been found out that it is asymptomatic for ten years. Symptoms will eventually manifest after ten years of dormancy. Because the health immune system of the HIV-infected person is at comprise, it is a truth that he or she is very susceptible to opportunistic infections. Common symptoms are: chills, fevers, night sweats, swollen lymph glands, weakness, weight loss.

HIV infection can be determined through different types of HIV screening test. The tests are necessary for determining and confirming the positivity of HIV infection. The Antibody Test. This type of test is the most common HIV test. Antibodies are looked and examined. The most popular test used under this type of test is called the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The ELISA test uses blood or oral body fluids to detect HIV infection. The result of this test can be determined after two weeks. Having a positive result from this test would mean another test to confirm the result. The confirmatory test used is the Western blot test, a widely used analytical technique for detecting specific proteins in the given sample of tissue or extract. Results can be confirmed after two weeks’ time.

The Antigen Test. This is not as common as the antibody test; nevertheless, it is as useful to diagnose HIV infection cases. It requires blood sample too.

PCR Test or (Polymerase chain reaction test). This test detects genetic material of HIV and can identify the presence of HIV in the blood within two to three weeks contamination. Babies, whose biological mother is HIV-positive, must undergo a special PCR test.

Site of the Month for October 2011 talks of AIDS Directory. Aids Index provides the useful information on AIDS and HIV including AIDS Resources, AIDS treatments and therapies, AIDS prevention, events about AIDS and HIV, vaccines for patients and more related.

Anonymous and Confidential use the same testing method. The only difference is one does not have your name attached to the results.

Anonymous antibody testing is available at Anonymous Test Sites in most California counties. Anonymous testing means that absolutely no one has access to your test results since your name is never recorded at the test site.

Confidential antibody testing means that you and the health care provider know your results, which may be recorded in your medical file.

HIV/Aids is an Immune System Disorder in which the body's ability to defend itself against infections, is greatly diminished. HIV is spread primarily through sexual or blood-to-blood contact. To put this simply, in layman's terms, the HIV virus enters the bloodstream and attaches itself to the service of a white blood cell (the CD4 cell's receptors). The virus then changes its genetic information into that of the white blood cell. The virus cannot be recognized by other white blood cells and is, over time, able to replicate itself into hundreds of HIV viruses. When the HIV virus has used the cellular material of the white blood cell, this breaks open and the new virus can, and does, spread through the bloodstream.

A person infected with HIV can go through five stages of the disease:
1. Primary HIV infection stage
2. A symptomatic latent phase
3. Minor symptomatic phase
4. Major symptomatic phase
5. AIDS defining conditions; the severe symptomatic stage.

Symptoms of Stage 1 are:
• Sore throat, headache, mild fever, fatigue, muscle and joint pains, swelling of the lymph nodes, rash and mouth ulcerations. The CD4 cell count is approx. 800-1200 cells/mm3.

Symptoms of Stage 2 are:
• No symptoms occur as this is the latent stage. The CD4 cell count is between 500 and 800 cells

Symptoms of Stage 3 are:
• Swelling of the lymph nodes/glands in the neck, armpits and groin.
• Occasional fevers, recurrent chest infections.
• Shingles, skin infections and rashes.
• Recurrent mouth ulcers
• Weight loss up to 10% of the person's usual body weight.
• Prolonged, unexplained fatigue.
The CD4 count is between 350 and 500 cells

Symptoms of Stage 4 are:
• Persistent and recurrent oral and vaginal Candida infections (thrush)
• Recurrent herpes infections eg cold sores
• Recurrent shingles infections (herpes zoster)
• Recurrent bacterial skin infections and skin rashes
• Fever that lasts for more than a month, night sweats
• Chronic diarrhea that lasts for more than a month
• Significant and unexplained weight loss
• Abdominal discomfort, headaches
• Thickened white patches on inside of the tongue
• Persistent cough and reactivation of TB
• Opportunistic diseases of various kinds
The CD4 count is between 150 and 350 cells

Symptoms of Stage 5 are:
• Continuous diarrhea, nausea and vomiting causing weight loss.
• Persistent recurrent vaginal candidiasis.
• Cold Sores and oral thrush
• Severe and recurrent skin infections
• Respiratory infections causing persistent cough, chest pain and fever.
• Pneumonia
• Weigh loss, tiredness
• Severe shingles
• Body pains, numbness or ‘pins and needles'
• Memory loss, poor concentration, headaches or confusion.
• Cryptococcal meningitis, presenting with fever, headache, stiffness of the neck, mental state change
• Infection causing brain damage
• Painless reddish brown swelling on the skin and mucous membranes
• TB
• Other sexual transmitted diseases (STD)
The CD4 cell count is below 200 cells.

The three main modes/causes of infection are:
1. Unprotected sexual intercourse with an HIV infected person
2. Infection through contaminated blood or blood products
3. Mother – child transmission of HIV
via the placenta
during childbirth OR
through breastfeeding.

All these symptoms can be confused with many other illnesses, so the only way to be sure that you have, or have not, got AIDS is to be tested. If you are positive, then you can make a major contribution to your survival and quality of life by getting into an early treatment program in which Immune Enhancement is encouraged.

People living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) need to take good care of themselves in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle that will enhance their health status. People with HIV/AIDS can live healthier lives for a long period if adequate care and support is provided. Your immune system can be enhanced by medical treatment, food, rest and exercise. You can be better off and cope much better if you are happy and feel productive. Emotional support and a positive lifestyle will help you to avoid depression.

TIPS ON TAKING CARE OF ONESELF
You should try to do the following things for a healthy living

AVOID UNPROTECTED SEX
People living with the virus should endeavor to avoid having unprotected sex. You can be re-infested with the virus again and again if you indulge in an unprotected sex. The harm in this is that there are various species of this virus. Re-infestation is more dangerous than the initial infection. A lot of harm is associated with re-infestation because the rate of damage is doubled in the body. On the other hand, HIV negative individual may be infested with the virus if they indulge in unprotected sex.

STOP USING ALCOHOL, SMOKING OR THE USE OF HARD DRUGS
Prolonged use of alcohol, smoking and hard drugs facilitate the deteriorating effect of the virus and breaking down of the immune system. But, desisting from using these chemicals will enhance a healthy living. The devastating effect of the above drugs should be avoided in order to prolong life in HIV positive patients.

SEEK EARLY TREATMENT FOR INFECTIONS
Treating infections promptly encourages early healing of infections and eliminates prolonged treatment which may be costly.The people concerned should always have access to medical care any time in order to treat infections promptly.

HAVE PLENTY OF REST AND EXERCISE REGULARLY
People who take regular exercise are noted to have reduced their risk of developing about two dozen physical and mental health conditions. Adequate regular exercise slows down the aging process and therefore reduces the deterioration of the body. Having enough rest is one of the methods of treating mental health and also to improve the well-being of the body system.

EAT HEALTHY FOOD AND BALANCED DIET
Eating healthy food and balance diet helps you to keep your body strong. This helps you stay healthy and ward off infections. Also drink plenty of water regularly to enhance body metabolism.

Because of the media hype that surrounds it and the devastating effects it has on both individuals and large populations, many people have heard of the term “HIV or AIDS” at some point in their lives. Usually the terms stir up fear in an individual, partly because they know that it is a fatal disease, and partly because there is a misunderstanding as to how you can contract it.

HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. This is the virus that causes AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome). Every person has an immune system in their body which fights infection and disease. For someone with HIV, the virus locates certain crucial immune system white blood cells called T-cells or CD-4 cells, and destroys them. Thus, an HIV infected person ultimately ends up with a compromised immune system that is unable to ward off illnesses, bacteria, viruses, and diseases. When the body reaches the point where it cannot fight off these pathogens, the person is considered to have AIDS. It usually takes about 10-15 years from the time of HIV infection until full blown AIDS, although antiretroviral drugs can prolong the process.

The Global HIV Prevention Working Group, an international panel of 50 leading AIDS experts, said many effective HIV prevention steps are not having anything like the impact they could because they are often not available to those at the greatest risk of infection.

In a “report card” published at an international AIDS conference in Vienna on national efforts to try to prevent new infections with the human immunodeficiency virus that causes AIDS, the group found most regions could do a lot better.

“On average the grades that were assigned by the working group ranged from average to poor, with some failing grades for some of the key indicators,” Helene Gayle, co-chair of the Working Group and chief executive of CARE USA, told reporters.

“Our overall finding is not that prevention is failing, but that we are failing prevention.”

The AIDS virus infects 33.4 million people around the world and has killed 25 million since the pandemic began in the 1980s. There is no cure and no vaccine but drugs can keep patients healthy. Without treatment, the virus destroys the immune system, leaving patients susceptible to infections and cancer.

Scientists and AIDS experts repeatedly say that the world cannot “treat its way out” of the AIDS epidemic.