Early diagnosis is in the interest of both the patient and his environment. With early diagnosis, the patient’s own prognosis is as good as that of other peers. In addition, the good response to treatment with HIV drugs virtually eliminates the infectivity of the disease.

If you suspect you have been exposed to HIV, don’t wait for symptoms, but apply for a test at your health center, occupational health care, student health care, STI clinics, low-threshold testing sites, or private medical clinics. The test does not show infection immediately after exposure, so a negative result is not reliable until 3 months after exposure.

Principles of testing:

The right to an HIV test without a doctor’s assessment. In principle, using the name and social security number, but it must be possible to get an HIV test also anonymously and in a foreign place. Testing is free of charge for the patient in occupational health services white lake mi. The home sti test is also available now.

The test used is HIV-AgAb.

HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. Hi-virus infects certain types of white blood cells, which play an important role in the body’s immune system. The virus causes HIV infection in the body. In Canada, less than 200 new infections are diagnosed every year. In addition, there are those who are not yet aware of their infection.

HIV drugs work well and keep viral levels so low that the disease cannot progress. Successful medication prevents the infection from progressing. In current treatment practice, HIV medication can be started immediately after the HIV diagnosis, once the initial tests have been performed and the patient wants to start medication. Substance use is not a barrier to medication, but medication must be committed. For HIV drugs to be effective, they must be taken regularly and carefully as directed.

How is HIV diagnosed?

HIV can only be detected by an HIV test. The test looks for antibodies to HIV in the blood. A negative HIV test result is certain 3 months after the risk of infection. The HIV test is taken as a blood vessel sample at health centers and STD clinics. Low-threshold test site tests and home tests are rapid tests performed on a fingertip blood drop. You can apply for an HIV test at a health center, a sexually transmitted disease clinic, and health counseling centers for injecting drug users, the SPR Plus point or a private doctor’s office.

Some infected people have symptoms of primary disease 1 to 6 weeks after infection, which are various symptoms of viral infections (fever, sore throat, muscle aches, enlarged lymph nodes). Based on them, infection cannot be determined. There will be no first symptoms for everyone. If they do occur, they usually disappear after 1-4 weeks. This is followed by a long, often years-long asymptomatic phase. If no HIV infection is detected, then if left untreated, the infection progresses to the AIDS stage. In the AIDS phase, a person’s resistance is reduced and he or she easily gets various inflammatory diseases and tumors. The deaths of people living with HIV, whose cause of death is AIDS, are recorded in less than 10 cases a year in Canada.