Fri Jul 30 16:38:17 SGT 2010  
    SHIM CLINIC
168 Bedok South Avenue 3 #01-473
Singapore 460168
Tel: (+65) 6446 7446
Fax: (+65) 6449 7446
24hr Answering Tel: (+65) 6333 5550 		Opening Hours
Monday to Friday: 9 am to 3 pm, 7 pm to 11 pm
Saturday & Sunday: 7 pm to 11 pm
Public Holidays: Closed
Walk-in clinic. Appointments not required.
Bring NRIC, Visit Pass or Passport for registration.

CD4 Singapore Clinic
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Summary

CD4 Singapore Clinic: HIV symptoms/signs in men/women. Rapid HIV screening testing/check. HIV transmission/infection PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis/prevention) treatment. HIV PCR, viral load & CD4 count test clinic, Singapore - Private and confidential service. Definitions, references, and latest news.

Description

If you have been exposed to HIV in the last 72 hours, early HIV PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis/prevention) treatment can stop you from getting HIV.

Table of Contents

HIV is the abbreviation for the human immunodeficiency virus, which causes the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome

HIV symptoms which may present in acute HIV infection:

These are nonspecific symptoms and can present with other infections; consequently, they are unreliable indicators of HIV infection.

HIV Test - The HIV window period is the time from HIV infection until a HIV Test can detect any change. Within the HIV window period, the HIV test would be negative. During this period, the HIV viral load is extremely high, thus making the person highly infectious.

  • HIV Antibody Test - For HIV Screening. 97% have a window period of 3 months. Average window period is 22 days for subtype B (ranges from 2 weeks to 6 months). Not anonymous.
    • Venous blood sampling sent to the laboratory - Results in 1-2 days.
    • Rapid HIV Test
  • Antigen testing - Average window period is 16 days. (not available)
  • HIV NAT (Nucleic Acid based Test) (HIV PCR Test) - Average window period is 12 days.
    • HIV-1 DNA PCR Test
    • HIV RNA PCR Test (HIV Viral Load)
  • Other tests
Rapid HIV Test - LIST OF RAPID HIV TEST KITS REGISTERED WITH THE HEALTH SCIENCES AUTHORITY (HSA) FOR USE IN MEDICAL CLINIC SETTINGS
  • Orasure OraQuick® Rapid HIV-1/2 Antibody Test
  • Inverness Medical Determine® HIV-1/2 Antibody Test (phased out)
OraQuick OraQuick®
  • Orasure OraQuick® Rapid HIV-1/2 Antibody Test
  • SG$60/= (no additional consultation fees)
  • Oral fluid or finger prick blood sampling.
  • Results visible in 20 minutes.
  • OraQuick® is approved for statutory testing in Singapore - it can be used for students' passes, work permits and employment passes
HIV PCR test - Two types are available:
  • HIV-1 DNA PCR Test
    • May be used to diagnose HIV infection
    • 10% false positive rate
    • Patient to arrive at clinic before 10am (Monday - Friday)
    • Cost SG$752/=
    • Results return in 2-3 weeks.
  • HIV RNA PCR Test to measure the HIV viral load
    • After HIV infection, this is used to assess disease progression during HIV follow up
    • Patient to arrive at clinic before 10am (Monday - Friday)
    • Cost SG$717/=
    • Results return in 2-3 weeks.
CD4 count
  • Used in HIV follow up management
  • Cost SG$169/=
  • Results return in 1 week.
  • CD8 count is also available separately at the same price.
HIV PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis/prevention) can prevent you from getting an HIV infection, and turning HIV positive.

HIV Risk Statistics (chances of getting HIV)
HIV Risk Factors HIV Transmission Probability
Receptive anal intercourse 1/100
Receptive vaginal intercourse 1/1000
Insertive vaginal intercourse 1/2000
Insertive anal intercourse 1/2500
Receptive fellatio with ejaculation 1/2500
Sharing needles 1/150
Needle stick injury 1/300
As in a game of russian roulette, an infection could occur at the first exposure.

Individuals are eligible for HIV PEP Treatment if all the following criteria are met:

  • exposure occurred within the past 72 hours;
  • mucous membrane or non-intact skin was significantly exposed to a potentially infectious body fluid;
    • unprotected anal or vaginal intercourse
    • unprotected receptive fellatio (oral sex performed on the penis) with ejaculation
  • the potentially exposed individual is not infected or not known to be infected with HIV;
  • the source is HIV+ve or the HIV status is unknown.
Prompt antiviral therapy may reduce the risk of HIV transmission by as much as 80%.

For optimal efficacy, antiretroviral therapy should be started as soon as possible, ideally within 1 hour of exposure. So that you can remain HIV negative.

Drugs commonly used in HIV PEP:

Kaposi's sarcoma Remember, there is no HIV cure.

Sexual Health Risks in emergency situations

If you have been exposed to HIV in the last 72 hours, early HIV PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis/prevention) treatment can stop you from getting HIV.

References

Latest News

HIV patient numbers increase among PCPs
Thu, 29 Jul 2010 07:36:42 +0100 | Managed Healthcare Executive Magazine Online
Primary care providers are increasingly caring for and treating people living with HIV, according to a recent survey by HealthHIV. (Source: Managed Healthcare Executive Magazine Online)

Tired of Running Around: Health Care Systems that Work for Women - 23 July 2010
Thu, 29 Jul 2010 07:24:49 +0100 | UNFPA News
VIENNA, Austria – “I am lucky to have found out about my HIV-positive status before I was pregnant,” said Vuyiseka Dubula, secretary-general of the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) in South Africa, a well-known ---- advocacy group. Vuyiseka learned about her HIV status in 2001 when she was 22 years old. Her experience in navigating the health care system to get the medical care she needed was tough, and she knew it would only get worse when she sought antenatal services. (Source: UNFPA News)

Y-PEER: Media Helping Empower Young People to Protect Themselves from HIV - 23 July 2010
Thu, 29 Jul 2010 07:24:49 +0100 | UNFPA News
VIENNA, Austria — Harnessing the power of the mass media and new technologies to reach young people with information about HIV and reproductive health was high on the agenda at the XVIII International ---- conference yesterday during a series of events sponsored by Y-PEER, a youth initiative pioneered by UNFPA the United Nations Population F... (Source: UNFPA News)

Shift, Engage, Share and Speak: Youth Make their Voices Heard - 22 July 2010
Thu, 29 Jul 2010 07:24:49 +0100 | UNFPA News
  ENTEBBE, Uganda — They are huddled together in a group in the midst of an animated discussion to which each has something to contribute. Eager to make her point is Barbara Kyomugisha. At just 24 years old, Barbara is a single mother living with HIV. The contribution she makes towards this discussion is first hand. (Source: UNFPA News)

---- Prevention: Love Smart, Play Safe - 22 July 2010
Thu, 29 Jul 2010 07:24:49 +0100 | UNFPA News
  VIENNA, Austria — When Omar, an 18 year-old Moroccan college student, fell in love with his classmate Salma, he felt nervous about broaching the use of condoms with her. It was his first time having sexual relations and he feared that she might question his fidelity. (Source: UNFPA News)

Young People at Risk: The Changing Face of HIV in Georgia - 20 July 2010
Thu, 29 Jul 2010 07:24:49 +0100 | UNFPA News
TBLISI, Georgia — Until recently, HIV prevalence here was concentrated among at-risk groups: injecting drug users, men who have sex with men, and sex workers. So HIV was not something that Anna, a happily married young mother, had ever worried about. (Source: UNFPA News)

UNFPA Welcomes Microbicide Study Results - 20 July 2010
Thu, 29 Jul 2010 07:24:49 +0100 | UNFPA News
UNITED NATIONS, Vienna/New York—UNFPA joins UNAIDS and its fellow co-sponsoring organizations in welcoming the results of a South African study showing that a vaginal gel containing an antiretroviral drug can significantly reduce the risk of HIV infections in women. These are the first encouraging results since such research into microbicides began nearly 20 years ago. The proof of concept study was completed by the Centre for the ---- Programme of Research in South Africa.   (Source: UNFPA News)

World Organizations Team with UN Secretary-General in New Effort to Save Lives of Millions of Women and Children - 19 July 2010
Thu, 29 Jul 2010 07:24:49 +0100 | UNFPA News
VIENNA  – Today, several of the world’s largest institutions that are critical to serving the needs of women and children are pledging their commitment to work jointly with the United Nations Secretary-General and others in a new global effort to save the lives of more than 10 million women and children. Organizations serving women, children and people living with HIV are coming together with leaders in the non-governmental community in the effort to improve maternal and child health and save the lives of millions of women and children.   (Source: UNFPA News)

Zidovudine-induced reversible pure red cell aplasia
Thu, 29 Jul 2010 05:46:48 +0100 | Indian Journal of Pharmacology
We report a 37-year-old male with HIV infection who developed PRCA 6 weeks after commencing Zidovudine and recovered following cessation of the drug. This is the first case of Zidovudine-induced PRCA reported from the Indian subcontinent. (Source: Indian Journal of Pharmacology)