Early HIV symptoms: timeline, and why dem no fit tell you if you get HIV

Timeline afta possible exposure

Dis na wetin fit happen for di weeks afta HIV enter di body, and wetin you fit do for each stage. Exposure na wen HIV fit don enter your body.

• Days 0 to 3: No symptoms, and no test fit detect anytin yet. Na dis time PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis: HIV medicine wey you go take afta exposure to stop di virus) fit help. E must start inside 72 hours.
• Weeks 1 to 2: Early symptoms, if dem go happen, usually neva start. NAT (nucleic acid test, wey dey look for di virus itself) fit start to detect HIV from about day 10.
• Weeks 2 to 4: If early symptoms go happen, na usually dis time dem dey start. Lab antigen/antibody test (blood wey dem draw from vein) fit detect HIV from about day 18.
• Di weeks wey follow: Early symptoms dey usually last from few days to some weeks, then dem go go by demself. HIV no dey go wit dem.
• Day 33: Negative NAT don be final.
• Day 45: Negative lab antigen/antibody test don be final.
• Day 90: Negative result for any test, including rapid test (wey dem prick finger) and self-test for house, don be final.

How early symptoms fit be

Dem dey call dis early stage acute HIV infection. HIV.gov tok say symptoms fit include:

• fever and cold wey dey make body shake
• rash for skin
• to sweat for night
• muscle pain
• sore throat
• body weakness
• lymph nodes (glands) wey swell
• sore for mouth

E resemble flu well well, and na dat one be di problem. Some pipo no dey get any of dem at all.

Why symptoms no fit diagnose HIV

Three reasons dey why you no suppose read too much meaning into how your body dey feel.

Plenti pipo wey get HIV no dey get early symptoms. To feel fine no mean say you no get HIV.

Many oda sickness fit cause dis symptoms. Cold, flu or anoda virus fit look exactly di same.

No pattern dey wey fit settle am. No mix of symptoms, and no particular rash or sore throat, fit confirm or rule out HIV. As HIV.gov tok am, di only way to know for sure na to do test.

If you get symptoms afta possible exposure, no just wait make dem pass. Go see health worker, tell dem say you fit don get exposure to HIV, and ask for test wey fit detect early infection, like NAT or lab antigen/antibody test.

Wen worry sef dey cause symptoms

Anxiety dey affect body, no be only mind. NHS (for UK) list symptoms like heartbeat wey you dey notice pass before or wey no dey beat normal, stomach problem, body wey tight, to tire quick, head wey dey turn or to feel like say you wan faint, and sleep wey no dey come easy.

Afta exposure, e easy to notice every small pain and dey wonder if na HIV. To dey check your body again and again dey make di worry worse, e no dey make am beta. Di way to settle di question na di right test for di right time. If di worry don dey take over, see how to manage fear about HIV.

Put your symptoms side by side wit di real risk

How likely HIV be depend more on wetin happen pass how you dey feel now. For most exposures, di chance small. One time of oral sex (to use mouth for private part) wit partner wey get HIV and no dey take treatment come to 0.01% (around 1 out of 10,000). For woman wey do vaginal sex one time without condom wit man wey she no know im status for US, e be 0.00014% (around 1 out of 730,000). Di calculator fit give you estimate for your own situation.

Wetin to do now

1. If di exposure happen for di last 72 hours, ask about PEP today. No wait to see weda symptoms go show.
2. If you get symptoms now, go see health worker and ask for NAT or lab antigen/antibody test.
3. If you no get symptoms, e no mean say e no fit be anytin. Plan test based on di date of di exposure. See how correct HIV test be week by week.
4. Test again afta di window period (di time afta infection wen test neva fit show HIV) if your first test fall inside am.
5. Find help for di worry if e dey affect your sleep, work or relationships.