HIV is a virus that weakens your immune system. It’s transferred through bodily fluids like semen, vaginal fluids, and blood.

When it comes toHIVtransmission, it’s important to know what early symptoms to look for. Early detection of HIV can help ensure prompt treatment to control the virus and prevent progression into stage 3 HIV. Stage 3 HIV is more commonly known as AIDS.

Early treatment usingantiretroviral drugsmakes the virus undetectable, which can prevent transmission to other people.

In this article, we examine the early symptoms of HIV and symptoms that may develop as the disease progresses.

的early signs of HIV, also known as acute retroviral syndrome, may appear as symptoms similar to those caused by theflu. These can include:

Early HIV symptoms generally develop within2 to 4 weeksof transmission. Some people may not experience any early symptoms after they’ve contracted HIV.

It’s important to remember that these early HIV symptoms are also associated with common illnesses and health conditions. To be sure of your HIV status, consider speaking with a healthcare professional abouttesting options.

A lack of symptoms can last for as long as10 to 15 years. But this doesn’t mean that the virus is gone. HIV is a manageable health condition. But left untreated, HIV can progress to stage 3 even if no symptoms are present. That’s why it’s so important toget tested.

Symptoms that indicate HIV may have progressed to stage 3 include:

Depending on thephaseof HIV,symptomscan vary.

的first stage of HIV is known asacute or primary HIV infection. It’s also called acute retroviral syndrome. During this stage, some people experience common flu-like symptoms that may be hard to distinguish from a gastrointestinal orrespiratory infection.

下一阶段是临床延迟阶段。的virus becomes less active, though it’s still in the body. During this stage, people experience no symptoms while the viral infection progresses at very low levels. This period of latency can last a decade or longer. Many people show no symptoms of HIV during this entire10- to 15-year period.

的final phase of HIV is stage 3. During this phase, the immune system is severely damaged and is vulnerable toopportunistic infections. Once HIV progresses into stage 3, symptoms associated with infections may become apparent. These symptoms can include:

Symptoms associated with HIV itself, like cognitive impairment, can also become apparent.

HIV is transmittable soon after it’s introduced into the body. During this phase, the bloodstream contains higher levels of HIV, which makes it easy to transmit it to others.

Since not everyone has early symptoms of HIV, getting tested is the only way to know if the virus has been contracted. An early diagnosis also allows an HIV-positive person to begintreatment. Proper treatment can eliminate their risk of transmitting the virus to their sexual partners.

When it comes to HIV symptoms, remember that it’s not always HIV itself that makes people feel sick. Many HIV symptoms, particularly the most severe ones, arise fromopportunistic infections.

的germs responsible for these infections are generally kept at bay in people who have an intact immune system. But when the immune system is impaired, these germs can attack the body and cause illness. People who show no symptoms during early-stage HIV may become symptomatic and begin to feel sick if the virusprogresses.

Early diagnosis is key. If you think you’ve been exposed to HIV or have an encounter that put you at risk for HIV, you should seek medical care right away with a primary care doctor, urgent or walk-in clinic, or, if those are not available to you, a local emergency room.

Doctors can give you a medication calledpost-exposure prophylaxisafter exposure to reduce your chances of developing HIV. But this medication needs to be taken within 72 hours of exposure. Ideally, you’d start taking it within the first 24 hours.

If you think you were exposed to HIV in the past – for example, if a former sexual partner tells you they have HIV – it’s critical to seek medical care as soon as possible. The sooner you find out you have HIV, the sooner you can start treatment.

的 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends everybody between the ages of 13 to 64 gets tested for HIV at least once.

HIV testingis important. Someone living with HIV who isn’t getting treatment can still transmit the virus, even if they have no symptoms. Others maypass the virus to othersthrough an exchange of bodily fluids. But today’s treatment can effectively eliminate the risk of transmitting the virus to a person’s HIV-negative sexual partners.

According to the 疾病预防控制中心 ,antiretroviral therapy可能导致病毒抑制。当一个人与HIV can maintain an undetectable viral load, they can’t transmit HIV to others. The CDC defines an undetectable viral load as fewer than 200 copies per milliliter (mL) of blood.

Taking an HIV test is the only way to determine whether the virus is in the body. There are known risk factors that increase a person’s chance of contracting HIV. For example, people who’ve had sex without a condom or shared needles may want to consider seeing their healthcare professional about getting tested.

Read this article in Spanish.