Expert: John Thai, M.D. - 4/16/2009

Question
i am 25 male 11 weeks ago i had one time 5 mintue maybe less unprotected sex which i know the time dosent matter.i have hearr from 2 people says the girl was hiv postive i asked her twice she said shes not.so i am very worried at 7 weeks exposure i got a 100.5 fever out of the blue followed the next day by sneezing coughing,sinus mucus,runny nose,congestion sometimes vomitting and loss of appetitite which i think might have been due to drainage.well then 2 days later i got a sore throat went to doctor strep throat was negative diagnosed me with pharynitis when i got home i noticed a canker sore on my throat that i dont think he saw.or he would have said so.and ive always have had canker sores nothin new there.my sore throat went away 7 days later when my canker sore went away.and my fever never did but maybe twice got over 101 it was up and down.fever sick at stomach and everything else i had only lasted 4 days besides the sore throat from the canker sore.my ?'s are i know symptoms are not always liable but does 7 weeks afterwards seem 2 late to get signs.because i felt like i had the flu on top of a bad sinus infection which i get alot.i only had diarhea twice in them 4 days. and is it common for a man to get hiv from a  female just one time.i know its possible but does it occur after one time alot. and i was wondering from you what do u think was causing my illness thank you. i have been very worried about this.the doctor said i needed to wait after 12 weeks but at 5 weeks which was early was negative.i just heard the ars fever usually lasts longer than 4 days and is usually real high.

Answer
Hi Kevin,

Please be advised that I am providing this service for educational purposes only. Any information provided below does not constitute a contract for medical services, professional medical advisory, or medical management. Please refer your questions and/or concerns to your physician for medical evaluation. Should you believe it is a medical emergency, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.

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You can contract HIV from either sex - male or female. Approximately 1/3 of individuals contracting HIV will develop symptoms one month after date of exposure call acute retroviral syndrome. It may also be referred to as primary HIV infection. The usual signs are flu-like symptoms such as fever, sore throat, rash, headaches, swollen lymph nodes, and fatigue. As you have described your flu-like symptoms at approximately seven weeks after sexual intercourse, there is a possibility that it may be a simple viral infection. The best way to determine your HIV status is to get tested. The current widely used HIV test is very reliable. You are correct, however, that it may take up to 12 weeks of post-exposure to correctly state that the results are correct. There are other tests available. p24 antigen test and nucleic acid amplication test (NAT) are available and may detect HIV within 2-4 weeks post-exposure. To ease your worries, I recommend that you kindly ask your physician for a p24 antigen test or NAT.

Best Regards,

John Thai, MD