HIV-2
HIV-1 is the virus that causes almost all the cases of AIDS worldwide. A related virus, HIV-2, was first isolated in people in West Africa in 1986. Some people who are infected with HIV-2 appear to have an AIDS-like illness, but most do not have symptoms.
You should be tested for HIV-2 infection if you:
- Are from West Africa and practise high-risk behaviours, such as having more than one sex partner or injecting illegal drugs.
- Have a sex partner who is from West Africa.
- Received a blood transfusion in West Africa.
- Are a child whose mother is infected with HIV-2.
- Have developed opportunistic infections but do not test positive for HIV-1 infection. These opportunistic infections may include:
Because HIV-2 is transmitted in the same ways as HIV-1, people who have HIV-2 should follow the same precautions as people who have HIV-1. It is possible to be infected with both HIV-1 and HIV-2.
Blood and organs donated in Canada are screened for HIV-2, so the risk of developing HIV-2 infection from a blood transfusion or organ transplant is extremely low.
| Author: | Douglas Dana Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS | Last Updated: October 10, 2007 |
| Medical Review: | Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine W. David Colby IV, MSc, MD, FRCPC - Infectious Disease Peter Shalit, MD, PhD - Internal Medicine | |
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