The first symptoms of AIDS appear between 5 to 30 days after being infected with the HIV virus, and are usually fever, malaise, chills, sore throat, headache, nausea, muscle pain and nausea. These symptoms are usually mistaken for a common flu and improve in about 15 days.
After this initial phase, the virus can lie dormant in the individual's body for about 8 to 10 years, when the immune system is weakened and the following symptoms start to appear:
- Persistent high fever; Prolonged dry cough; Night sweat; Edema of the lymph nodes for more than 3 months; Headache; Pain throughout the body; Easy tiredness; Fast weight loss. Losing 10% of body weight in one month, without diet and exercise; Persistent oral or genital candidiasis; Diarrhea that lasts more than 1 month; Reddish spots or small rashes on the skin (Kaposi's sarcoma).
If the disease is suspected, HIV testing should be carried out, free of charge by SUS, at any health center in the country or AIDS Testing and Counseling Center.
AIDS treatment
The treatment of AIDS is done with several drugs that fight the HIV virus and strengthen the individual's immune system. They decrease the amount of viruses in the body and increase the production of defense cells, so that they can also fight HIV. Despite this, there is still no cure for AIDS and no vaccine that is really effective.
During the treatment of this disease it is very important that the individual avoid contact with sick people, as their body will be too weak to fight any microorganism that causes infections, with opportunistic diseases, such as pneumonia, tuberculosis and infections in the mouth and skin.
Important informations
To find out where to take the HIV test and other information about AIDS, you can call the Health Dial at number 136, which is open from Monday to Friday, from 7 am to 10 pm, and on Saturdays and Sundays from 8 am to 6 pm. The call is free and can be made from landlines, public or cell phones, from anywhere in Brazil.
Also find out how AIDS is transmitted and how to protect yourself by watching the following video:
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