Nt1310 Unit 1 Assignment

HIV Infection – Someone that has contracted HIV may not have “symptoms for as many as 15-20 years after the initial infection. The first signs of HIV is usually mononucleosis in which the symptoms are swollen lymph glands, fever or night sweats, they may also experience headaches.” Completing a blood test is the most common way for someone to find out if they have contracted the HIV infection. There is actually “two blood tests that are done at the same time and both must be positive to confirm the infection, they are HIV ELSA and HIV Western blot tests.” While there is no cure for the HIV infection there are medication combinations that can be prescribed and used as a treatment in an attempt to slow the infection down and manage the symptoms. Because the persons immune system is impacted with the HIV infection the infected person must be very careful to stay away from others that may be sick for catching something as curable as pneumonia, for an HIV infected person this could lead to their death.

Gonorrhea – Some people may actually never experience any symptoms and therefore the infection could progress and eventually cause sterility. For those that do have symptoms “they normally appear within the first 7 to 10 days after exposure and both men and women may experience painful urination, or a yellowish discharge.”

The first stage is a chancre if not treated the chancre will heal and the infection moves into the second stage in which the symptoms may be any of the following; “skin rash, hair loss, and the appearance of round, flat-toped growths on most areas of the body.” If the second stage is also left untreated then the infection moves into the third stage and after a “latency period, the infection can damage vital organs, such as the heart or brain and cause death.” The treatment during any stage for Syphillis, is an antibiotic, prescribed by a healthcare