What is the first reaction when somebody finds out they are HIV+? Do they go through any counseling?
Do they start taking medicine right away or do they wait until they start having some symptoms?
Are the partners (expartners) contacted and notified of the problem they might have?

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Originally Posted by inquirer

What is the first reaction when somebody finds out they are HIV+? Do they go thru any counseling?
Do they start taking medicine right away or do they wait until they start having some symptoms?
Are the partners (expartners) contacted and notified of the problem they might have?

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Well when the blood is collected for diagnosis for presence or absence of HIV the policy is to do a PRETEST COUNSELLING where in you tell the patients about the modes of acquiring the disease , how the disease progress , how it is transmitted, what is the likely complications and what is the life expectancy with and without treatment.

Once the test results are out... the patient undergoes POST TEST COUNSELLING

1) if the result is positive... the person is counselled regarding the further tests that he needs to undergo to determine the severity of the disease like the CD4 count and VIRAL LOAD..
He is given moral support and advised to start medicines if needed acc. To these reports . He is advised to stop any sexual relations wth others least he shd transmit the disease to others..
He is also told that medicines cn contrl the disease but cannot cure it and that he has to take the medicines regularly and life long in order for them to be effective.
2) if test is NEGATIVE... still the person undergoes counselling to stop high risk sexual behaviour. And if clinically there is a doubt about the result , then the test is repeated after 3 months to reconfirm that it is negative..

Medicines are started depending upon the CD4 count of the patients.

Also divulging your disease status is against the law hence none of your contacts are informed about it , unless you wish to inform it yourself

Arm I don't know where you live but it is LAW HERE to inform partners if God Forbid a person is positive.

Usually a person is asymptomatic if they are only infected with the HIV... it is only when one develops an AIDS defining disease (certain types of infections or cancerous lesions like kaposi sarcoma) is a patient actually diagnosed as having AIDS.

The quicker one is diagnosed as being HIV+, the quicker they can be put on medication and much of the response to such medication will depend on CD4 T-cell counts and viral load.

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