HIV can be hard to diagnose, if you think you might have contracted hiv you should ge test as soon as possible. Symptoms often can take a long time to develop after the intial exposure to HIV, but common HIV/AIDS symptoms include thrush or chronic yeast infections, skin discoloration, easy bruising, nausea, vommiting, and exhaustion. As CD4 cell count drops and the immune system breaks down more advanced symptoms are more severe oppertunistic infections. This includes chronic infections that don’t regularly happen in healthy indivduals and even some cancers. HIV tests are used to confirm the presence of anti HIV cells in your blood or saliva and not the actual virus. Advanced OI’s become more of a problem as the CD4 + count drops below 200 and the immune system becomes greatly weakend. HIV spread happens when infected bodily fluids enter your body. The most common occurances happen during sexual intercourse and the sharing of needles. Its always essential to practice safer sex, and always use condoms. Condoms are an effective method for preventing the transmission of HIV and prevents other STDs as well. Practicing safe sex means using a condom every time. If you use intervenous drugs, always be sure to use clean needles and never reuse them. It is important to help raise awareness about HIV transmission, it plays a critical role in preventing HIV spread. You should be tested for HIV even if you think you’re not infected, and if you are sexually active you should get a routine HIV screening. Free HIV testing is often available, and some clinics perodically offer free HIV testing. HIV tests are simple to get, especially with the advent of rapid result test you can be tested and recieve your results within thirty minutes. The HIV test is done by taking a swab of saliva and does not require the drawing of blood.