Three quick questions I'd like to hear your opinion on: 1. Could possible ARS fatigue be confused w/ depressed/worried fatigue, ie. sitting down a lot b/c thinking so much and worrying so much. In other words, is acute ret syndrom fatigue much more severe than just sitting (can't stay awake, can't run for sports, etc.)? 2. Do you think the average time b/t infection and AIDS is still 8-11 years? IF not, how long do you think now with current treatments? 3. Can transmission occur by getting blood on dry skin, that could be cracked, but no outright bleeding (I know this isn't your area of this forum, please just tell me quickly what you think)

Thanks a ton for your time.

Hi 1. ARS (Acute Retroviral syndrome) is experienced by more that half of HIV infected persons within several weeks of infection. The symptoms are usually more severe than what you are describing. Symptoms include sore throat, swollen painful lymph nodes, fever (sometimes quite high), severe flu like symptoms, a distinct rash, diarrhea and sometimes dehydration. People experience varying degrees of these symptoms. 2. It's difficult to track the natural history of HIV progression in the advent of newly introduced HAART (Highly Active Antiretroviral Treatment), but studies are now ongoing. It is true, however, that in the absence of treatment or OI prophylaxis, the median time between HIV infection and development of AIDS is 9.8 years.