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Question
23 Feb 2009
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help
i' ve recently been diagnosed with hiv at a vct, what are the chances of being wrongly diagnosed. if not how soon should i begin arv treatment. i was also wondering if i can transmit it to my other family members through my menstrual blood i.e when taking a bath in same tub. please help, im confused
CyberDoc
Dear Sikz
You have to have a blood test - there are two tests that they do, a screening test and a confirming test on the same blood. If you are positive, the second step is to go to a GP and have your CD4 count tested. If the CD4 count is less than 200 cells per ml, then you should start on ARV's. If it is higher than 200, ARV's is not needed yet, as it will not make a big difference in your health at this stage, it is expensive and have unpleasant side effects. You do however need to eat healthily, avoid contact with sick people, take the flu vaccination, use an immunobooster like Moducare and take multivitamins. You have to go for regular medical check ups - at least once a year. The HIV virus is very sensitive and does not live long outside the body when it is not in body fluids, so it is unlikely that anybody will get HIV from using the same tub as you.
See http://www.cdc.gov/Hiv/resources/factsheets/transmission.htm
Dr Bets
You have to have a blood test - there are two tests that they do, a screening test and a confirming test on the same blood. If you are positive, the second step is to go to a GP and have your CD4 count tested. If the CD4 count is less than 200 cells per ml, then you should start on ARV's. If it is higher than 200, ARV's is not needed yet, as it will not make a big difference in your health at this stage, it is expensive and have unpleasant side effects. You do however need to eat healthily, avoid contact with sick people, take the flu vaccination, use an immunobooster like Moducare and take multivitamins. You have to go for regular medical check ups - at least once a year. The HIV virus is very sensitive and does not live long outside the body when it is not in body fluids, so it is unlikely that anybody will get HIV from using the same tub as you.
See http://www.cdc.gov/Hiv/resources/factsheets/transmission.htm
Dr Bets
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