Known HIV infection

If you are infected with HIV or caring for someone who is, call911or other emergency services immediately if any of the following conditions develop:

• Seizures
• Loss of consciousness
• New weakness in an arm, a leg, or one side of the body
• New inability to move a body part (paralysis)
• New inability to stand or walk

Call your health professional if any of the following conditions develop:

• Fever higher than 103F
• Fever higher than 101F for 24 hours
• Shortness of breath
• Cough that produces mucus or sputum
• New changes in balance or sensation (numbness, tingling, or pain)
• Ongoing diarrhea
• Unusual bleeding, such as from the nose or gums, blood in the urine or stool, or easy bruising
• Ongoing headache
• Changes in vision
• Rapid, unexplained weight loss
• Night sweats
• Fatigue
• Swelling of lymph nodes in the neck, armpits, or groin
• Unusual sores on the skin or in the mouth
• Increased outbreaks of cold sores
• Severe numbness or pain in the hands and feet
• Personality changes or decline in mental ability, such as confusion, disorientation, or an inability to do mental tasks that the person has done in the past
• Sores, bumps, rashes, blisters, or warts that appear on or around the genital or anal areas

Suspected or known exposure to HIV and symptoms are present

Many people have a flu-like illness 3 to 6 weeks after they are first infected with HIV, but symptoms can occur within a few days of infection. Symptoms of acute retroviral syndrome (such as nausea and headache), which are the first signs of HIV infection, are often mistaken for symptoms of another viral infection.

Call your health professional to determine whether HIV testing is needed if you suspect you have been exposed to HIV, particularly if you engage in high-risk behavior and develop any of the following symptoms:

• Abdominal cramps, nausea, or vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Enlarged lymph nodes in the neck, armpits, and groin
• Fever
• Headache
• Muscle aches and joint pain
• Skin rash
• Sore throat
• Weight loss
• Yeast infection of the mouth (thrush)

Initial symptoms of HIV infection may be mild to severe and usually disappear on their own after 2 to 3 weeks.

Suspected or known exposure to HIV but symptoms are not present

If you have not been tested for HIV, call your health professional if:

• You suspect that you have been exposed to HIV.
• You have engaged in high-risk behavior and are concerned that you were exposed to HIV.
• Your sex partner engages in high-risk behavior.
• Your sex partner may have been exposed to HIV.
• Your sex partner has HIV.
• You develop any of the symptoms listed above.

Getting tested for HIV can be scary, but the condition is treatable so it is important to get tested if you think you have been exposed. Early detection and monitoring of HIV will help your doctor determine whether the disease is progressing and when to start treatment.

Watchful Waiting