STIFFANY MAE N.

ALVAREZ
BSCHM-4A

5C’s OF HIV TESTING SERVICES according to WHO

1. Consent: People receiving HTS must give informed consent to be tested and
counselled. (Verbal consent is sufficient; written consent is not required.) They
should be informed of the process for HIV testing and counselling and of their
right to decline testing.

2. Confidentiality: HTS must be confidential, meaning that what the HTS provider
and the client discuss will not be disclosed to anyone else without the expressed
consent of the person being tested. Confidentiality should be respected, but it
should not be allowed to reinforce secrecy, stigma or shame. Counsellors should
discuss, among other issues, whom the person may wish to inform and how they
would like this to be done. Shared confidentiality with a partner or family
members – trusted others – and healthcare providers is often highly beneficial.

3. Counselling: Pre-test information can be provided in a group setting, but all

people should have the opportunity to ask questions in a private setting if they
request it. All HIV testing must be accompanied by appropriate and high-quality
post-test counselling, based on the specific HIV test result and HIV status
reported. Quality assurance (QA) mechanisms as well as supportive supervision
and mentoring systems should be in place to ensure the provision of high-quality
counselling.

4. Correct: Providers of HIV testing should strive to provide high-quality testing

services, and QA mechanisms should ensure that people receive a correct
diagnosis. QA may include both internal and external measures and should
receive support from the national reference laboratory. All people who receive a
positive HIV diagnosis should be retested to verify their diagnosis before
initiation of HIV care or treatment.

5. Connection: Linkage to prevention, treatment and care services should include

effective and appropriate follow-up, including long-term prevention and
treatment support. Providing HTS where there is no access to care, or poor
linkage to care, including ART, has limited benefit for those with HIV.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF HIV/AIDS

There are several symptoms of HIV. Not everyone will have the same symptoms. It
depends on the person and what stage of the disease they are in.
Below are the three stages of HIV and some of the symptoms people may experience.

Stage 1: Acute HIV Infection

Within 2 to 4 weeks after infection with HIV, about two-thirds of people will have a flu-
like illness. This is the body’s natural response to HIV infection.
Flu-like symptoms can include:
 Fever
 Chills
 Rash
 Night sweats
 Muscle aches
 Sore throat
 Fatigue
 Swollen lymph nodes
 Mouth ulcers

These symptoms can last anywhere from a few days to several weeks. But some people
do not have any symptoms at all during this early stage of HIV.
Stage 2: Clinical Latency
 In this stage, the virus still multiplies, but at very low levels. People in this stage
may not feel sick or have any symptoms. This stage is also called chronic HIV
infection.

 Without HIV treatment, people can stay in this stage for 10 or 15 years, but some
move through this stage faster.

 If you take HIV medicine every day, exactly as prescribed and get and keep an
undetectable viral load, you can protect your health and have effectively no risk of
transmitting HIV to your sexual partner(s).

 But if your viral load is detectable, you can transmit HIV during this stage, even
when you have no symptoms. It’s important to see your health care provider
regularly to get your viral load checked.

Stage 3: AIDS
If you have HIV and you are not on HIV treatment, eventually the virus will weaken
your body’s immune system and you will progress to AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency
syndrome). This is the late stage of HIV infection.
Symptoms of AIDS can include:

 Rapid weight loss

 Recurring fever or profuse night sweats
 Extreme and unexplained tiredness
 Prolonged swelling of the lymph glands in the armpits, groin, or neck
 Diarrhea that lasts for more than a week
 Sores of the mouth, anus, or genitals
 Pneumonia
 Red, brown, pink, or purplish blotches on or under the skin or inside the mouth,
nose, or eyelids
 Memory loss, depression, and other neurologic disorders
Each of these symptoms can also be related to other illnesses. The only way to know for
sure if you have HIV is to get tested. If you are HIV-positive, a health care provider will
diagnose if your HIV has progressed to stage 3 (AIDS) based on certain medical criteria.
Many of the severe symptoms and illnesses of HIV disease come from the opportunistic
infections that occur because your body’s immune system has been damaged. See your
health care provider if you are experiencing any of these symptoms.