Stages of HIV and where to get testing in NYC.

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a sexually transmitted disease that has killed nearly 20 million people worldwide to date. Since the introduction of antiretroviral drugs in 1987 and the improvements integrated with the HAART technique in 1996 incidents of HIV/AIDS related deaths have gone down significantly. Countries all over the globe are seeing less infections and longer living among the infected. Yet the continued spread of the virus is still disheartening, especially in wealthier countries and cities like NYC that provide affordable HIV screening for men and women who are at risk. Despite the ample resources available that help protect and regulate their sexual health, Americans continue to spread HIV. According the Center for Disease Control, about 56,000 people in United States were infected in 2006.

While the story of HIV’s origins sits uncomfortably amidst the cultural myths, prejudice and some speculative research that attempt to explain it, there is little debate between STD doctors over how it manifests itself. It begins with viral transmission, and, as it worsens, could end in acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).

Most people acquire the HIV infection through sexual intercourse. Sexually active persons are considered at high risk for transmission if they abstain from using latex condoms, change partners regularly, or have a history of any sexually transmitted diseases. A much smaller percentage of people in recent years have contracted the virus via intravenous drug habits during exchanges of needles with contaminated people. Mothers infected with the virus can also pass on HIV to their infants. Once infected, the virus invades cells within the body and melds with the host’s DNA to multiply and spread through the body. This stage can be marked by high fever and flu systems.

A clinically asymptomatic stage follows typically 6 months after initial infection. Physical examinations show almost no symptoms for HIV during this time, with exception to possible inflamed glands. The lymphoid tissues in the glands filter and confine most of the infection, which lessons the burden on the rest of the body for some time. Studies at STD clinics have shown that patients during this phase have an unusual symmetric balance between HIV replication and HIV destruction, meaning that at this time a person maintains a steady load of the virus.

As the disease worsens the body enters a systematic stage of infection. This occurs for either three reasons:  1. HIV exhausts the lymphoid tissues in the glands, allowing more and more of the virus to escape and populate the body.
2. The HIV undergoes a mutation, becoming stronger and more varied.
3. The body fails to maintain the balance between HIV replication and HIV destruction.
At this stage antiretroviral treatment is administered.

If the retroviral medication succeeds, the body can return to the asymptomatic stage and continue to protect the immune system. However, if it does not work the disease can quickly deteriorate the immune system, making it impossible for the body to fight off common illnesses. Unless the disease slackens, the individual’s immune system will worsen until they are considered to have AIDS.

The sooner one gets the diagnosis for HIV the better chance they have of preventing the formation of AIDS, which has a radically lower mortality rate. This is especially important considering the elongated time one can experience the asymptomatic stage, so it is pivotal that you make an appointment to get HIV Testing NYC at least once a year if you are sexually active. Log onto NYC STD testing to make an appointment at a testing clinic in NYC, or to learn more about what puts you at risk for the disease and what steps you can take to prevent contracting it.

Stop the spread, get tested today.

Top Three NYC HIV Questions (From Testing to Treatment)

You can catch anything in NYC. You can catch the subway, catch a pop ball in Yankee Stadium, and even catch a rising star. Unfortunately, you can also catch a myriad of STDs including-but-not -limited-to the still-dreaded HIV. NYC has so much going for it, but one must pay a price for all the trains, ballparks and Broadway spectaculars. It’s a good thing that such great STD testing NYC and treatment is available in our fair city.

                                                                                    

There was a time, back in the early to mid-eighties that HIV and AIDS was first and foremost in the NYC consciousness. Red ribbons festooned every lapel in the more progressive neighborhoods, benefits performed, charities created, celebrities climbed on soap boxes. And it all made a difference. HIV testing NYC and treatment is now readily available—and even affordable—unlike back when the movement was just beginning.

HIV is the virus that eventually causes AIDS in many infected individuals. Not everyone who contracts the virus will come down with full-blown AIDS. Especially today with all the reliable testing and new treatments for those infected. At the present moment there is no vaccination for HIV, the incubation time is one to ten years, and those at greatest risk are homosexuals, drug users and African Americans in big cities such as NYC.

Many bisexual and gay individuals of this new generation have many of the same questions that were being asked years ago. Here are a few of them and their answers:

Can I get HIV if I perform oral sex on an infected person?

The answer to this question is unequivocally YES. You can receive HIV from oral sex, but the fact is that the risk is much lower than the risk of catching HIV from unprotected vaginal and/or anal sex with an infected partner. If performing oral sex on an infected individual the danger is when the infected person’s semen or vaginal discharges come into contact with bloody gums or any cuts and/or sores in the mouth. Anyone suffering from cuts or sores in their mouth should refrain from any sort of oral sex and should get to a certified STD clinic for testing and HIV screening immediately.

Can I catch HIV if he doesn’t ejaculate inside of me?

Once again the answer is YES. Chances are slim but they exist and should be enough of a deterrent for you to always use condoms when having sex with anyone who you do not know is one hundred percent disease free. And that means seeing their paperwork, not taking their potentially slimy word for it.

Can I get HIV from a tattoo?

The answer to this question depends on what type of person you receive your tattoo from. Many tattoo artists, like the ones found in licensed shops in NYC, would never use the same needle on more than one person’s tattoo, but it is up to you to make sure that your tattoo artist opens a new pack of needles in front of you or uses a medical grade sterilization machine. If this is the case you are safe. Ask them to open the package of needles in front of you and the only treatment you will need is a deeper green-shading on the wing of that killer dragon.

For those that live in NYC log onto STDCenterNY.com for the best possible HIV testing and treatment for HIV. They are located just several blocks from Grand Central Station and are easy to get to. Call 1-212-696-5900 to arrange an appointment today for HIV testing or any other STD-related issue.