Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date. Can a person with only sore throat, headache and nausea that
lasts less than 3 days be considered to be going through ARS at
11 days post exposure? This happened to my daughter.
Thanks,
Worried Mum
Mark H. Katz, M.D.
Regional HIV/AIDS Physician Coordinator
Kaiser Permanente of Southern California
Dear Worried Mom--
Remember first of all that the symptoms you describe occur
commonly in populations, as part of a general "viral syndrome,"
aka "the flu." The symptoms of ARS, when they occur, usually
last longer than 3 days but may be short in duration. And indeed
the 11 days post-exposure would be a reasonable time for ARS to
occur.
Indeed, and you probably already know this, the only way to be sure is to do an HIV antibody test, which by now would start to be turning positive if she happened to become infected. If it is negative, and again at three months, she is totally in the clear.
Good luck, and your daughter is lucky to have a mother who is so involved and proactive with her health!
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