Could a person have Aids and be totally unaware of it?
AIDS stands for Aquired ImmunoDeficiency Syndrome. It is caused by HIV, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. HIV infection results in an initial spike in viral levels several weeks after infection. During this time a person may not be symptomatic but is very contagious. Shortly after this spike the immune system manages to lower the viral levels. These lowered virus levels may stay lowered for years, but the virus is *not dormant*! It is busy with a war of attrition between the immune system and HIV. HIV eventually wins when the immune cells are lowered enough in level that the viral levels climb again and the person starts developing symptoms of AIDS, such as unexplained fevers and illnesses. Most people who are infected with HIV go on for 5-10 years before developing AIDS, and most people who are infected do not know they are. However, once a person develops AIDS, the end stage of HIV infection, it is quite obvious that they are very sick, and most die within a couple years if they are
Most people who have HIV (virus that can lead to AIDS) have no symptoms for several years. Some people have flu symptoms within a few months after infection, but it is impossible to tell the difference between flu symptoms caused by flu, and flu symptoms caused by HIV infection. It is important to note that once someone is infected, they can transmit the virus to others, even if they have no symptoms. Unfortunately, many people who engage in risky behaviour assume that if they feel healthy, they are not infected. Also, you can not tell that someone is infected just by looking at them. Many people pass the virus on without realizing that they themselves are infected. The ONLY way to find out if you have HIV is to get an HIV test. It can not be diagnosed any other way. Even though it can take years for symptoms to appear, more than 98% of people who have HIV would test positive within 3 months after they get infected. In very rare cases, it could take up to 6 months for someone to test p
