What are the symptoms of HIV and how long will it take to detect? Does HIV spread thru saliva.?

Infection with HIV occurs by the transfer of blood, semen, vaginal fluid, Cowper's fluid or breast milk. Within these body fluids HIV is present as both free virus particles and virus within infected immune cells. The three major routes of transmission are unprotected sexual intercourse, contaminated needles and transmission from an infected mother to her baby at birth or through breast milk. Screening of blood products for HIV in the developed world has largely eliminated transmission through blood transfusions or infected blood products in these countries.

As time passes without effective treatment, HIV weakens an infected person's immune system, making them much more vulnerable to opportunistic infections. These infections are caused by germs that are around us all the time but which can normally be fought off by a healthy immune system. Once HIV has broken down the body's defences, such infections can take hold and produce any of a wide range of symptoms - some of them very severe. Certain cancers also become more common when the immune system is weakened.

Such symptoms are, however, not caused directly by HIV, and they can't by themselves be interpreted as definite signs of HIV infection or AIDS. A diagnosis of AIDS requires signs of severe immune deficiency, which cannot be explained by any factor except HIV. This generally requires an HIV test which will take a few weeks

the saliva thing is a myth unless your bleeding and have semen in your mouth (and if youre infected)

no, absolutely not. If you have french kiss with somebody who has HIV, you don't get HIV. If you have sex and stuff, you can get HIV. i'm not sure how long, but I think it depends on people.

The symptoms of HIV and AIDS vary, depending on the phase of infection. When first infected with HIV, you may have no symptoms at all, although it's more common to develop a brief flu-like illness two to six weeks after becoming infected. But because the signs and symptoms of an initial infection 鈥?which may include fever, headache, sore throat, swollen lymph glands and rash 鈥?are similar to those of other diseases, you might not realize you've been infected with HIV.

Even if you don't have symptoms, you're still able to transmit the virus to
others. Once the virus enters your body, your own immune system also comes under attack. The virus multiplies in your lymph nodes and slowly begins to destroy your helper T cells (CD4 lymphocytes) 鈥?the white blood cells that coordinate your entire immune system.

You may remain symptom-free for eight or nine years or more. But as the virus continues to multiply and destroy immune cells, you may develop mild infections or chronic symptoms such as:

Swollen lymph nodes 鈥?often one of the first signs of HIV infection
Diarrhea
Weight loss
Fever
Cough and shortness of breath
During the last phase of HIV 鈥?which occurs approximately 10 or more years after the initial infection 鈥?more serious symptoms may begin to appear, and the infection may then meet the official definition of AIDS. In 1993, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) redefined AIDS to mean the presence of HIV infection as shown by a positive HIV-antibody test plus at least one of the following:

The development of an opportunistic infection 鈥?an infection that occurs when your immune system is impaired 鈥?such as Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP)
A CD4 lymphocyte count of 200 or less 鈥?a normal count ranges from 600 to 1,000
By the time AIDS develops, your immune system has been severely damaged, making you susceptible to opportunistic infections. The signs and symptoms of some of these infections may include:

Soaking night sweats
Shaking chills or fever higher than 100 F for several weeks
Dry cough and shortness of breath
Chronic diarrhea
Persistent white spots or unusual lesions on your tongue or in your mouth
Headaches
Blurred and distorted vision
Weight loss
You may also begin to experience signs and symptoms of later stage HIV infection itself, such as:

Persistent, unexplained fatigue
Soaking night sweats
Shaking chills or fever higher than 100 F for several weeks
Swelling of lymph nodes for more than three months
Chronic diarrhea
Persistent headaches
If you're infected with HIV, you're also more likely to develop certain cancers, especially Kaposi's sarcoma, cervical cancer and lymphoma, although improved treatments have reduced the risk of these illnesses.

Symptoms of HIV in children
Children who are HIV-positive often fail to gain weight or grow normally. As the disease progresses, they may have difficulty walking or delayed mental development. In addition to being susceptible to the same opportunistic infections that adults are, children may have severe forms of common childhood illnesses such as ear infections (otitis media), pneumonia and tonsillitis.

As for the query regarding saliva:
Although very small traces of the virus may be present in the saliva, they are not enough to stir a series of reaction in the body. So saliva cannot transmit HIV virus!

hiv virus can only be transmitted via sexual intercourse as in saliva you need a gallons and gallons of saliva to transmit the virus. symptoms can be manifested only once your immune system is already weak.

w.Some symptoms are weight loss, flu like symptoms, constant diareha, very bad stomach cramps in the abdomen, and small bump like spots that come up under the skin that can be red, purple or blue. You can find more symtpoms at www.talksexwithsue.com. They only way HIV can spread thru saliva is if that person had an open wound when you kissed them. You would have to come into contact with their body fluid, and/or blood before you could catch the virus.

Call the National HIV & STD Hotline at

1-800-342-AIDS to speak to a councelor and find out where to get TESTED for free in your area.