Hello!
Thanks for being with HCM.
HIV has non specific in presentation that, almost any thing from a simple
cough and
cold, oral lesions,
skin rash to severe epileptic attack can be attributed to it.
Flu like symptoms,swollen neck and
sore throat could be due to HIV infection as you had contact with a HIV positive person.
HIV infection has following stages:
1.Acute Infection:
Within 2-4 weeks after infection with HIV, you can experience an acute illness, which is often described as “the worst flu ever” also called
acute retroviral syndrome (ARS).
During this period of infection, large amounts of virus are being produced in your body.Eventually your immune response will begin to bring the level of virus in your body back down to a level called a viral set point, which is a relatively stable level of virus in your body.
Duiring this period of initial 2-4 weeks or maximum up to 6-8 weeks HIV PCR or P24 protein antigen can detect HIV infection which is negative for you.
2.Clinical Latency:
After the acute stage of HIV infection, the disease moves into a stage called clinical latency. This period is sometimes called asymptomatic HIV infection or chronic HIV infection. During this phase, HIV reproduces at very low levels, although it is still active.This stage can last up to 10 years.
In this stage
HIV-ELISA and other tests can detect HIV infection.
3.AIDS:
This is the stage of infection that occurs when your immune system is badly damaged and you become vulnerable to opportunistic infections.
During this stage also ELISA and other test can detect the HIV infection.
I would like to suggest to get Westrern blot assay or HIV-P24 antigen and HIV-PCR tests done that could detect HIV in early weeks of infection but still these tests take 2-4 weeks time.Hence if this test comes negative then repeat the same tests after 3 months.If all these tests come negative after 3 months then there are very less chances of being infected but repeat testing is needed with HIV-ELISA after 6 months to one year.
Consult with physician for testing and
counselling.
Hope this could help you.