大家好，今天黄医生谈谈艾滋病感染的症状。
HIV症状取决于个体和疾病阶段。
在最初感染后的前2-4周内，患者可能会出现流感样症状， 他们称之为“有史以来最严重的流感”。
这被称为急性逆转录病毒综合征。症状包括发烧，腺体肿胀，喉咙痛，皮疹，疲劳，身体疼痛和头痛。
艾滋病毒症状可持续数天至数周。请记住，这些症状可见于其他常见疾病，您不应仅仅因为体验过它而认为您患有艾滋病毒。还要注意许多早期HIV感染者没有症状。
在HIV感染的早期阶段之后，该疾病进入临床潜伏期，其中病毒在体内发展，但没有看到症状。如果您正在接受艾滋病治疗，那么病毒通常会受到控制，您可能会遇到可能持续数十年的无症状期。如果您感染了艾滋病病毒并且没有接受治疗，那么它将进展为艾滋病。您可能会出现严重的症状，包括体重迅速减轻，反复发烧，大量盗汗，极度疲倦，腺体肿胀，腹泻，口腔溃疡，肺部感染和神经系统疾病。
即使您遇到上述症状，除非您接受检测，否则无法确认HIV。
如果你担心自己有可能跟性(爱)产生接触或正在经历类似状况，请到我们的诊所进行相关咨询和诊测。
Our clinics recently diagnosed a case of HIV from a vampire facial.
A Vampire Facial is a type of cosmetic treatment that was made popular by celebrity Kim Kardashian.
The treatment involves taking the patient’s own blood and spinning it down until the cells separate out of the liquid portion (plasma). Small needles known as micro-needles are then used to make multiple small holes in the patient’s face. The plasma is then poured over the face so that it soaks into these holes.
Two cases of HIV infection from such treatments were reported earlier this year in Albuquerque, New Mexico in the US. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/912436
Vampire Facial treatment is NOT approved in Singapore.
Before undergoing a treatment, ensure that the establishment has all the proper local licenses required.
Ensure that the therapist conducting the treatment has all the training certifications required.
Do not undergo any treatments in non-medically licensed establishments that involves blood or body fluids.
For treatments that involve puncturing or breaking the skin, ensure that the instruments used are properly packaged and sterilized.
Insist on seeing the operator open the sealed package in front of you.
If you feel you might have been exposed to an infection, see your local Doctor immediately for a discussion on HIV PEP and screening for other blood-borne infections like Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C.
HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) is the use of medications to effectively prevent the transmission of HIV. Individuals who are taking PrEP can reduce their risk of contracting HIV infection by up to 99% if taken regularly. This type of medication must be taken before exposure to be effective. It is different from Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP), which is taken immediately after possible exposure and uses additional medications.
PrEP is usually taken as a once-daily combination tablet of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) + emtricitabine (brand name: Truvada), although other types of dosing regimens are available as well depending on the unique lifestyle of the individual. Studies have shown that PrEP is generally safe for long term use, but some may experience side effects such as a reduction in kidney function and bone density.
The FDA recently approved a new drug combination of tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) + emtricitabine (brand name: Descovy) for use as PrEP, which has shown to be equally effective in preventing HIV infection whilst touting an improved safety profile for renal and bone toxicity.
The main difference between Descovy and Truvada is the form of tenofovir drug present – the newer Descovy uses TAF, which enters cells more efficiently than Truvada’s TDF, and means that a much lower dose of tenofovir is needed. This means that other tissues such as the kidney and bone are exposed to a much lower dose of the drug and there is less risk of drug toxicity.
The DISCOVER trial for Descovy as PrEP showed that the new drug is as effective as Truvada in preventing HIV transmission in men or transgender women who have sex with men, when taken as a once-daily tablet. They have not yet performed specific studies to evaluate protection in vaginal sex, or with other PrEP dosing schedules (such as Event-Based Dosing, T’s and S’s, etc.).
However, given that Descovy is essentially just a new and improved Truvada (which has been extensively studied in these situations), it is likely just a matter of time before further studies are done and show similar efficacy.
Descovy also includes a warning in usage as PrEP for patients with known hepatitis B infection, stating a potential risk of hepatitis B exacerbation after stopping the drug. While it can still be used as PrEP in patients with a history of hepatitis B infection, close monitoring of liver function and hepatitis B viral load for up to 6 months following discontinuation of Descovy is recommended (same as Truvada).
Descovy is currently available in all Dr Tan & Partners (DTAP clinics) in Singapore. It is a prescription-only medication and must be prescribed by a doctor. Speak to our doctors for more information about Descovy and find out if a HIV-1 treatment that contains Descovy is right for you. Dr Jonathan Ti, MB, BCh, BAO (Ireland), MRCP (UK), Cert. Men’s Health, is a member of the Singapore HIV PrEP Taskforce and is a co-author of the Singapore HIV PrEP Guidelines and is currently practising at our Robertson Walk Clinic.
HIV PrEP does not protect the user against other STDs. Therefore, even if you are on HIV PrEP, it is important to still to use a condom regularly, as well as get your regular STD screening & HIV Testing.
If you are interested to find out more about HIV PrEP, please call our any of our clinics or drop us an email at hello@dtapclinic.com.sg for an appointment with our doctors.
Hai, Saya Dr. Taufiq dari Dr. Tan dan Partners, dan hari ini saya ingin bercakap mengenai simtom penyakit kelamin atau STD, dan HIV.
Penyakit kelamin atau STD berpunca dari beberapa jenis virus, bakteria atau kuman yang boleh menjangkiti seseorang melalui hubungan seks dengan pasangan yang sudah pun mempunyai jangkitan tersebut. Penyakit HIV pula berpunca dari virus yang dikenali sebagai Human Immunodeficiency Virus, dan ia juga tersebar melalui hubungan seks.
Simtom-simtom STD boleh dibahagikan kepada tiga jenis – simtom semasa kencing, simtom pada kulit dan simtom umum. Simtom-simtom STD boleh mengambil masa yang berbeza untuk muncul – ada yang mungkin seawal 3 hari selepas hubungan seks, ada juga yang mengambil masa beberapa minggu atau bulan untuk menjadi jelas. Ada pula sesetengah orang yang dijangkiti STD, tetapi mereka tidak mengalami apa-apa simtom yang nyata.
Jangkitan Chlamydia dan gonorrhea (CGP) adalah penyakit STD yang paling kerap dijangkiti. Antara simtom 2 termasuk pengeluaran cecair dari kemaluan.
Ada juga yang dijangkiti tapi tidak menunjukkan apa2 simtom. Jangkitan ini juga boleh membawa kepada kemandulan.
Anda boleh mendapat keputusan dalam masa 24 jam. Pengesanan awal dapat membolehkan rawatan awal.
Simtom-simtom HIV pula mungkin berbeza bergantung pada individu dan peringkat penyakit.
Bagi seseorang yang mengalami jangkitan HIV peringkat awal, mereka mungkin dapat melihat simtom-simtom tertentu dalam masa 2 hingga 4 minggu pertama.
Simtom yang paling ketara pada peringkat awal ialah selsema yang serius, yang selalu disifatkan sebagai “selsema yang paling buruk yang pernah dialami”.
Keadaan ini dikenali sebagai sindrom retroviral akut, atau ARS. Sindrom jangka pendek ini disifatkan dengan sakit tekak, ruam, keletihan, sakit-sakit badan dan sakit kepala. Simtom-simtom HIV boleh berlarutan dari beberapa hari hingga ke
beberapa minggu.
Selepas jangkitan HIV peringkat awal, simtom-simtom penyakit ini mungkin hilang. Tapi awas, jangkitan HIV mungkin sudah mara ke peringkat kedua yang dipanggil peringkat latensi. Pada peringkat ini, virus HIV membiak di dalam tubuh badan, tanpa menunjukkan apa-apa kesan yang jelas seperti simtom- simtom yang telah saya katakan tadi.
Peringkat terakhir jangkitan HIV dikenali sebagai penyakit AIDS. Pada peringkat ini, fungsi perlindungan dalaman atau sistem imun badan akan mula merosot.
Seseorang yang mempunyai penyakit AIDS akan lebih senang jatuh sakit, dan mungkin juga mati kerana sebab-sebab yang pada asasnya, tidak serius.
Untuk mengesan jangkitan HIV, ujian pantas HIV (HIV Rapid Test) hanya boleh diambil sekurang-kurangnya 14 hari selepas anda terdedah pada aktiviti berisiko tinggi.Ini adalah ujian generasi ke 4 dimana ia boleh mengesan HIV
seawall 14 hari.
Ujian generasi ke 3 pula memakan masa 90 hari selepas pendedahan sebelum boleh mengesan HIV.
PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) adalah ubat yang diambil untuk mengelak daripada menjangktii virus HIV. PEP (Post exposure Prophylaxis) pula adalah ubat yang diambil setelah terdedah pada virus HIV.
PrEP biasanya digalakkan bagi mereka yang berisiko tinggi untuk mendapat HIV seperti golongan yang mempunyai pasangan yang berbeza, lelaki yang berhubungan sesama lelaki lain.
PEP pula di galakkan bagi golongan yang terdedah pada HIV. Contohnya kondom yang pecah sewaktu bersetubuh, berhubungan dengan pekerja seks tanpa kondom dan pendedahan pada HIV melalui suntikan jarum. (needlestick injury).
HPV atau Human Papilloma Virus adalah sejenis virus yang merebak melalui sentuhun kulit. Ia boleh menyebabkan ketuat (warts) serta kanser pangkal rahim (cervix).
Kini ada vaksin yang bleh melindungi anda daripada 9 jenis virus HPV. Ia dinamakan Human Papillomavirus 9-valent Vaccine. Human Papillomavirus 9-valent Vaccine adalah satu-satunya vaksin yang boleh mengelak daripada kanser. Ia digalakkan bagi lelaki dan perempuan berumur 12 tahun ke atas.
Saya telah pun memberikan penerangan ringkas tentang penyakit STD, HIV dan AIDS.
Sebelum saya akhiri, saya ingin memberi beberapa pesanan.
Jika awak berasa ragu tentang kesihatan awak, adalah wajar untuk berjumpa dengan doktor yang bertauliah untuk mendapatkan pemeriksaan dan kepastian.
Sekiranya anda bimbang tentang kemungkinan pendedahan, atau anda mengalami simtom-simtom STD dan HIV, sila lawati klinik kami untuk penilaian dan ujian yang betul. Kami sedia membantu untuk memberi nasihat dan rawatan yang diperlukan. Bicaralah dengan dokter Anda hari ini!
Tag: hiv test
Elite controllers are defined as those individuals who have been infected with HIV but is able to achieve undetectable levels of virus (<50 copies/ml) without any medication. While long-term controllers are those who have been able to achieve low but detectable levels of HIV (<2000 copies/ml) without treatment.
There is a fair amount of evidence to suggest that perhaps the main mechanism that allows for control of the HIV virus is that an effective and potent immune response by an individual. Studies have shown that when only CD4 cells of elite controllers were isolated without CD8 cells, and then infected with HIV virus, the CD4 was just as easily infected as non-elite controllers thus giving evidence that the elite controllers CD4 cells were just as susceptible to HIV infection as non-elite individuals.
In recent months, researchers in Sydney, Australia has reported a case of a known HIV person who has spontaneously cleared HIV infection with no treatment. This patient was infected due to a blood transfusion back in 1981. The patient was able to suppress the HIV virus in his body through his own immune system and have undetectable levels of the virus since 1997. Most recently, they tried to look for traces of the HIV virus in his blood, intestines and lymph nodes but did not detect any traces of the virus, thus the researchers believe this is the first case of spontaneous clearance of HIV infection in humans.
In essence, the combined effects of each of the above factors contributed to the clearance of the HIV virus from this particular patient. To replicate this combined effect artificially at this point in time is not possible. However, perhaps in the future with further development of gene therapy, we may be able to achieve this unique set of host factors to achieve clearance of HIV virus.
Tag: hiv test
There are multitude of misconceptions associated with HIV. These are some of the most common ones:
1) HIV is the same as AIDS. HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) refers to the virus itself, whereas AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) refers to a spectrum of potentially life-threatening conditions that are caused by the virus.
2) HIV is a death sentence. This may have been the case several decades ago, where without prompt and adequate treatment, the infection progresses and causes the immune system to weaken, leading to AIDS. However, thanks to advances in modern medicine, most HIV infected patients today may never develop AIDS. This is why it is imperative to be on treatment, ideally as soon as possible after a diagnosis of HIV is made. It is also important to undergo regular HIV screening.
3) HIV can be spread by kissing, sharing of food or close contact. It is extremely unlikely to contract HIV via these methods as HIV is not spread by saliva. However, if the person you are in contact with has mouth sores/ulcers, bleeding gums or open wounds then there is a possible risk. HIV is spread by 3 main routes: sexual contact, significant exposure to infected body fluids/tissues such as semen, blood, vaginal secretions or breast milk, and lastly, mother-to-child transmission.
With or without treatment, a person infected with HIV may not appear any different from that of an uninfected person.
HIV infection undergoes 3 stages. The first stage (Acute Stage) may present with flu-like symptoms, fever and a rash. The second stage may present with lymph node swelling, but most patients do not have any symptoms at all. The second stage (Clinical Latency) can last anywhere from a few years to over 20 years. Thus, many HIV infected patients, especially during this stage, may not even know that they have contracted HIV. Lastly, the third stage is the presentation of AIDS symptoms.
HIV infected patients should receive prompt long term treatment and undergo regular follow up blood tests in order to reduce the viral load in their bodies to low levels. This allows their immune system to continue to function well and minimizes the risk of progression to AIDS. By doing so, they can essentially live very normal lives not any different from that of an uninfected person.
Upon diagnosis of HIV infection, a patient will have to start taking a combination of long-term daily medications. These are antiviral medications that work to prevent the virus from replicating. The patient will then be required to return regularly for blood tests to monitor the levels of HIV and the immune system. The goal of treatment is to keep the levels of HIV low, and thus allow the immune system to continue to function well.
Without adequate treatment, up to 50% of HIV infected patients develop AIDS within 10 years. Elevated levels of HIV affect the patient’s immune system and prevent it from functioning properly, eventually leading to AIDS. This may result in the individual being more prone to infections. Patients may develop symptoms such as prolonged fever, tiredness, swollen lymph nodes, weight loss and night sweats. HIV Related Opportunistic infections such as tuberculosis, recurrent pneumonia and esophageal candidiasis, may occur as well. AIDS patients could also develop various viral-induced cancers.
The leading causes of death worldwide in patients with AIDS are, as mentioned, opportunistic infections and cancer.
This is the 2nd ever reported case of an HIV patient being “cured” of HIV. In 2007, a patient in Berlin was also reported to have been cleared of the virus. Both of these cases have similarities: both HIV infected patients concurrently suffered from cancer (Berlin patient had Acute Myeloid Leukaemia; London patient had Hodgkin’s Lymphoma) and both patients received bone marrow transplant by donors who carried the rare CCR5 genetic mutation.
CCR5 is a protein on the surface of white blood cells that is involved in the immune system. It is one of the co-receptors that HIV uses to enter target immunological cells. This means that via CCR5, HIV is able to gain a mode of entry into a person’s immune system. People with CCR5 genetic mutation have resistance to HIV infection because the virus is unable to enter into their immune system like it usually does.
In the case of the London patient, subsequent blood tests have shown that the virus cannot be detected. However, this does not necessarily mean that he has been fully “cured” – the virus may simply be in a dormant, or “sleeping” state.
While the outcome was favourable in the two examples stated above, this form of treatment is not a viable large-scale strategy because bone marrow transplants carry significant risks and are extremely costly. However, it is undeniable that these two cases are landmark moments in the war against HIV as scientists continue to hunt for a cure. The hope is that by conducting more research on the editing of the CCR5 gene, we will one day be able to develop a safe, cost-effective and easy solution.
I believe that with continued advances in medical research, there is hope of a cure for HIV in the future. However, this is a long and slow process that may require many years or decades. Until then, the best option is to ensure that the public are able to gain access to undergo HIV screening even if the risk is not high, and that HIV infected patients are able to receive prompt and long term treatment.
From the initial shock and disbelief of receiving a diagnosis of HIV; having to accept the reality of the situation; to having to live with HIV daily, these are just a few examples of the tremendous challenges that HIV patients face in their lives, and for many patients these have a detrimental impact on their psychosocial well-being.
There is still a terrible stigma today surrounding HIV, and it remains very much a taboo subject that most people are afraid to speak about or face up to. Nevertheless, we can offer many forms of support for HIV patients. For starters, government and healthcare organisations need to continue in their best efforts to increase awareness and educate the public about HIV and its misconceptions. If you have a family member or loved one who lives with HIV, the best kind of support would be your understanding, care and acceptance.
Lastly, if you are a person living with HIV, do not despair. Seek the appropriate treatment that you require, and turn to your family and friends for moral support.
Take Care!
Tags: hiv screening singapore, hiv test
Singapore, 28 January 2019 – Singapore’s Ministry of Health (MOH) held a press conference to inform the public that the confidential information of 14,200 people living with HIV were leaked. This included 5,400 Singaporeans and 8,800 foreigners (source: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/data-of-14200-singapore-patients-with-hiv-leaked-online-by-american-fraudster-who-was). The records of the 5,400 Singaporeans leaked were up to January 2013. The records of the 8,800 Foreigners leaked were up to December 2011.
This is a trying time for people living with HIV in Singapore. For Singaporeans diagnosed after January 2013, there is no need to be concerned until more information is available from MOH. For queries, we urge you to contact the MOH hotline on +65 6325-9220.
Under the Infectious Diseases Act of Singapore, we would like to remind the community that it is an offence to disclose the identity of a person living with HIV except under very specific conditions (see Addendum 1 below). If anyone comes into contact with such information, we urge you to notify the Singapore police immediately at https://eservices.police.gov.sg/homepage.
We hope that even if the identities of people living with HIV are leaked that they are shown the same support and respect we have always given them. People living with HIV are no different from any of us. They are also of no danger to anyone. You cannot get HIV from casual contact such as shaking hands, hugging, sharing food or sharing a toilet.
We hope in this difficult time all Singaporeans can band together to show support for people living with HIV. They are our loved ones, our colleagues, our friends and our families.
Protection of identity of a person with AIDS, HIV Infection or other sexually transmitted diseases.
25.—(1) Any person who, in the performance or exercise of his functions or duties under this Act, is aware or has reasonable grounds for believing that another person has AIDS or HIV Infection or is suffering from a sexually transmitted disease or is a carrier of that disease shall not disclose any information which may identify the other person except —
(a) with the consent of the other person;
(b) when it is necessary to do so in connection with the administration or execution of anything under this Act;
(ba) when it is necessary to do so in connection with the provision of information to a police officer under section 22 or 424 of the Criminal Procedure Code 2010;
[10/2008 wef 10/06/2008]
[15/2010 wef 02/01/2011]
(c) when ordered to do so by a court;
(d) to any medical practitioner or other health staff who is treating or caring for, or counselling, the other person;
[10/2008 wef 10/06/2008]
(e) to any blood, organ, semen or breast milk bank that has received or will receive any blood, organ, semen or breast milk from the other person;
(f) for statistical reports and epidemiological purposes if the information is used in such a way that the identity of the other person is not made known;
(g) to the victim of a sexual assault by the other person;
(h) to the Controller of Immigration for the purposes of the Immigration Act (Cap. 133);
(i) to the next-of-kin of the other person upon the death of such person;
(j) to any person or class of persons to whom, in the opinion of the Director, it is in the public interest that the information be given; or
(k) when authorised by the Minister to publish such information for the purposes of public health or public safety.
[5/92; 13/99]
(2) Any person who contravenes subsection (1) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $10,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 months or to both.
HIV Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) has been established as a cornerstone of HIV prevention in the last 20 years. With newer, well-tolerated medications and better access to medical care, PEP has shown itself to be a safe and effective weapon in our arsenal against HIV infection.
Read: A Guide to HIV PrEP & HIV PEP (Pills for HIV Prevention)
For those individuals who have been in the unfortunate position of needing PEP, the next question is invariable:
There are very few studies that have examined the “earliest time” you can do an HIV test after taking PEP and have conclusive results. There are some theories that taking PEP can increase the window period for testing by delaying the appearance of HIV antigen or antibodies in the blood – these have neither been proven or debunked, although evidence is weighted towards the latter.
Current data would suggest that p24 antigen and antibody response is not significantly affected by these antiviral medications, but these studies have mainly been done on individuals taking Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP). As the medications used for PrEP and PEP are essentially the same, we can extrapolate this data to post-PEP testing as well. Confounding factors to these studies include patient adherence to PrEP/PEP regime as well as any instances of ongoing high-risk exposures during the course of medication and/or after.
Both the US CDC 2016 guidelines and joint WHO/ILO 2005 guidelines for PEP recommend HIV testing at baseline before starting medication and immediately after completing PEP (i.e. 4 weeks post-exposure as per regular non-PEP users), as well as 3-6 months post-exposure.
Importantly, the US CDC guidelines also states that patients keen to start on HIV PrEP after their HIV PEP can do so immediately following the completion of 28-day PEP, and provided the patient has a negative 4th generation HIV Antigen/Antibody test: “Because no evidence exists that prophylactic antiretroviral use delays seroconversion and PEP is highly effective when taken as prescribed, a gap is unnecessary between ending PEP and beginning PrEP.” Again, this suggests strongly that testing immediately after completing PEP is sufficiently conclusive to exclude an HIV infection.
Some studies done in animals have shown HIV DNA/RNA PCR testing during HIV PEP can sometimes even show a positive HIV viral load, with follow up testing after completing the medication showing a negative result. This could represent a successfully aborted infection, which is exactly the point of PEP in the first place.
We do not usually recommend HIV DNA/RNA PCR testing during or after completion of HIV PEP, as we know that the medication can and will suppress the viral load the same way it does in chronic HIV infection – this means that even a negative PCR viral load test may be a false negative, with viral load increasing again in a true infection a few months after the medication has been stopped.
Personally, I have not encountered any patients who have taken PEP and tested negative at 28 days to subsequently have their results change to HIV positive in follow-up testing, except in a single case where the patient had ongoing high-risk exposures during and after their PEP medication.
In summary, post-PEP testing can be performed immediately following the completion of medication (i.e. 28 days or more post-exposure) with a 4th generation Antigen/Antibody test with good certainty, although guidelines will still recommend one last test at 3 months or more post-exposure as a precaution.
Current clinical experience indicates that the test at the end of PEP is essentially conclusive and sufficient to ensure that PEP is successful and HIV infection has been prevented, but higher-powered studies are required to confirm this.
It is still best to speak to the doctor who prescribed you the PEP or who will be following up with your care, as they will be most familiar with local testing methods and guidelines.
If you believe you have had a potential high-risk exposure within the last 72 hours, you may consider Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP). Please contact us for a consultation if you think you need PEP.
If you wish to speak to any of our doctors in regards to HIV PEP or HIV Testing, you can visit any of our clinics or drop us an email at hello@dtapclinic.com.sg for an appointment.
Take Care!
Other Reads:
There are many fears and misconceptions about HIV survivability and infection risk.
We often get asked some form of this question by people who have come into contact with potentially infected blood or bodily fluids from surfaces or other objects and who are worried about HIV infection risk.
Most importantly, there have been no validated cases of HIV transmission through casual touching of surfaces or objects (e.g. toilet seats, toothbrushes, towels) to date.
However, it is true that HIV has been shown to survive outside the human body for up to several weeks in certain environmental conditions.
So what does the evidence say so far?
HIV is NOT killed by cold – It is known that the survival time of HIV increases in colder temperatures.
There have been no studies on HIV survival in semen or vaginal fluids outside the body, but so far evidence indicates that it is only present at very low levels and is unlikely to pose a risk of infection from contaminated surfaces.
These studies have mainly looked at HIV survivability in laboratory based experiments, and have not taken into account the effect of environmental conditions such as wind, rain, and sun exposure. Further studies are needed to more clearly elucidate the risk of certain exposures.
Also, just because HIV can survive outside the body does not mean that it is necessarily infective. Even when live HIV virus comes into contact with broken skin or mucosa, it must still be present in an adequate dose to establish infection (the tissue culture infectious dose), and must then undergo a complex series of steps before it actually causes an HIV infection.
Survivability ≠ Infectivity
HIV transmission thus far has only been shown to occur through sexual intercourse, contaminated needles (including tattoos and body piercing), blood transfusions, and very isolated cases of dental procedures and eyesplash incidents with infected blood. There have been zero cases of infection from casual contact with a contaminated surface or object to date.
All in All, if you have touched some surface or fluid that you think may be contaminated with HIV, do not worry – you will not get infected.
However, it is still important to practice proper hygiene and infection control measures to reduce the risk of other infections as well.
If you believe you have had a potential high-risk exposure within the last 72 hours, you may consider Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) – this course of medication can greatly reduce the risk of HIV infection following an exposure. Please contact us for a consultation if you think you need PEP.
If you are interest to go for an Anonymous HIV Testing, please visit our Robertson Walk Branch.
We are Singapore MOH Approved Anonymous HIV Test site in Singapore.
Take Care!
Other Reads:
Other Reads:
Also on Dtapclinic.com: HIV Test Singapore, STD Test Singapore, Anonymous HIV Testing
The neighbouring country has just built a wall to keep outsiders out. These outsiders do not have a passport and are trying to get over the wall through different means. The HIV virus is one of these outsiders, they will try all means to get across the wall
We will discuss in this article, the vehicles the HIV virus can adopt to get over your wall. From taking a plane and DEFINITELY getting over the wall, to taking a ship around the border and MAYBE getting around the wall and lastly climbing over the wall which is NOT possible.
The HIV virus will need a vehicle to get past the wall and in the medical context, the HIV virus from a positive person will need to come into contact with a negative person. The fluids which carry the most viruses are blood and semen whereas saliva and vaginal fluid hold much less of the HIV virus.
DEFINITELY getting over the wall – definite transmission, for every 10,000 attempts this will be the number of times successful the HIV virus will get over the wall and cause infection during that activity
According to the Singapore Ministry of Health UPDATE ON THE HIV/AIDS SITUATION IN SINGAPORE 2014.
Estimated risk per exposure to HIV transmission: assume that the ‘source partner’ is always HIV-positive. For a partner of unknown status, the risk is affected by the prevalence of HIV in the relevant community – i.e., the chance that the partner does, in fact, have HIV. Unless otherwise stated, the sexual acts are always without a condom.
MAYBE getting around the wall – theoretical situations where there isn’t enough scientific data on where the HIV virus may get around the wall
NO WAY of getting over the wall – not possible for transmission
We hope this short illustration answers and highlights questions people may have over possible ways of HIV transmission. Fluid-fluid contact is necessary for transmission and without this, there is NO risk for HIV transmission.
If you have any new questions, please feel free to ask them on https://www.dtapclinic.com/forum/
Take Care!
Other Reads:
The HIV Pro-Viral DNA Test can be done 10 days post exposure.
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