HIV

Tanjong Pagar Medical Clinic is an approved Anonymous HIV Testing Clinic by the Ministry of Health Singapore.

HIV – What is HIV / AIDS?

HIV stands for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. AIDS or ‘Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome’ occurs in the later stage of HIV infection. A person infected with HIV can take up to 10 years to develop AIDS.

How is HIV transmitted?

HIV is transmitted by:

  • unprotected sexual intercourse with a HIV infected partner
  • the sharing of injection needles and other piercing instruments used for tattooing or acupuncture that are tainted with HIV from an infected mother to her baby during pregnancy, at birth, or through breastfeeding
  • receiving infected blood and blood products (e.g. organs, plasma).

HIV is NOT spread through social contact such as hugging and touching. Neither can it be transmitted through contact with objects such as food or toilet seats, or by biting insects such as mosquitoes.

How does HIV affect health?

The HIV infection weakens the body’s immune defences by destroying CD4 (T-cell) lymphocytes which are white blood cells that protect us against attacks by bacteria, viruses and other harmful pathogens.

When these white blood cells are destroyed or weakened, they will no longer be able to defend the body effectively against infections.

In addition, HIV infection also increases the severity of some common diseases and conditions. It also increases the risk of getting some cancers.

AIDS is the end stage of HIV infection and is fatal. The person with AIDS usually dies between one and a half to three years after developing AIDS, from various infections and cancers.

What are the symptoms of HIV / AIDS?

Usually, a HIV-infected person may not notice any symptoms.

There are 3 distinct phases of clinical HIV infection:
1. Acute seroconversion – May occur within the first few weeks and may take up to several months. Symptoms during this time may include fever, flu-like illness, lymphadenopathy, and rash. These manifestations develop in approximately half of all people infected with HIV.

2. Asymptomatic infection – At this stage, persons infected with HIV exhibit few or no signs or symptoms for a few years to a decade or more.

3. AIDS – When the immune system is damaged enough that significant opportunistic infections begin to develop, the person is considered to have AIDS. A CD4+ T-cell count less than 200/μL is also used as a measure to diagnose AIDS.

These are a list of HIV / AIDS symptoms which may be experienced:

  • Tiredness
  • Weight loss
  • Prolonged fever
  • Night sweats
  • Skin rash
  • Persistent diarrhea
  • Lowered resistance to infections

HIV screening is the only way to know if one is infected or not.

Is there a cure for HIV infection?

Currently, there is no cure for HIV infection.

However, there are treatments in the form of anti-retroviral therapy that can improve the patient’s immune system so as to delay the onset of AIDS.

These drugs act by suppressing the replication of the HIV virus, thus delaying the spread of HIV in the body and the onset of opportunistic infections.

Testing Services at Tanjong Pagar Medical Clinic

If you think you may have HIV, please see below.

Testing for STD/STI – Our STD/HIV clinic provides a full range of STD and STI testing services which can be done at the same time as the HIV testing. Please see here for a full list of STD testing and screening profiles. HIV and STD tests can be customized to suit your risk profile.

Testing for HIV – We offer a full range of HIV testing as well as rapid and fast HIV tests, either by oral saliva swab or by fingerprick blood. Results in 20 minutes!

Prevention of HIV – If you have had a recent high risk exposure (less than 72 hours), you may wish to consider HIV PEP or HIV Post Exposure Prophylaxis, which may help to prevent HIV transmission and potentially save your life!

Prevention of STD – We offer vaccination against Hepatitis virus and Human Papillomavirus (HPV).

Please call 64433101, SMS 96622880 or email info@tanjongpagarclinic.com for more information.

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