Usually people infected with HIV do not show any symptoms right away. The initial 2-4 weeks of getting infected with HIV might give minor symptoms such as fever, feeling sick and body ache. These symptoms last only for a certain weeks after which they subside. Due to such less or nil symptoms, people affected with HIV are not aware of their infection. Irrespective of whether the symptoms are shown or not, it is possible to transfer it to other people, as the count of HIV cell will be more in the initial stages.

HIV AIDS

In order to show more aggravated symptoms, it will take at least 10 years from when the person got infected to HIV. The virus starts destroying the CD4 or T Cells, thereby making it tough for the person to fight against the other infections and diseases. Thus, the person will be suffering from AIDS. The following are symptoms of AIDS: sore throat, excessive weight loss, frequent nausea & fatigue, yeast infections, shortness of breath, skin rashes, bleeding from mouth, vagina, nose or anus, chronic pelvic inflammatory disease, etc.

According to WHO, about 40 million people are infected by HIV, in which about 2 million were children. Mostly, HIV is populated in the lower and the middle income countries. In 2015, about 1.1 million have died due to the HIV related causes and about 20.9 million people are receiving treatment for the disease.

See Also: What are STDs/STIs?

So far several research activities have been carried out in order to identify treatments to cure HIV/AIDS. However, no cure has been identified to completely get rid of the disease. However, a treatment called Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) is available. The ART when taken along with certain other medications helps in reducing the progress of the disease, which might further help in preventing the secondary health complications.

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