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How common are false negative results from an HIV test?

How long after initial infection is HIV contagious but test results still show negative?

  • So the person might not even know they're HIV positive and able to spread it which sounds like a bad situation.

  • Answer:

    HIV is very contagious in nature and this is the reason that it effects million of people all around the world each year. HIV takes 4 weeks to 3 months (window period) to detect by the testing procedure. In some cases it may be as long as 6 months. During this period virus continues to multiply and destroy immune cells, person infected with HIV may develop mild infections or flu like symptoms. During this period the person is unfamiliar with HIV infection and hence can spread it to community. If somebody has doubt about HIV infection. He or she must get tested himself repeatedly for HIV. Suggested visit; http://www.onlineuha.com/hiv-stds-risk-profile/recent-hiv-std-exposure-level-1-6.htm

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A person who has recently become infected with HIV should be considered infectious (able to transmit HIV) within a few days of acquiring it. The initial explosion of virus replication that occurs is astronomical. A person who has recently been infected will be more infectious during the first 5 months of infection than at any later stage of their disease. It takes the body up to 3 months to mount an immune response to the new infection. Once the immune response (antibodies) occurs, a person will test HIV positive using the usual tests (antibody test) and there is a natural reduction in the amount of virus in the body which makes a person much less infectious. The stage of HIV disease from initial infection to antibody production is called primary or acute HIV disease. So a person can be infected and test negative for up to 3 months (in EXCEEDINGLY RARE cases it can take up to 6 months), however for most people (75%) this period will only last for about 17-20 days and a person will test positive after that. The above is for someone actively looking for HIV and therefore testing. With little/no symptoms during this stage and for MANY years afterwards and with many people in denial about their actual HIV risk a lot of people are infected with HIV and don't know it. About 30% of those living with HIV in North America are unaware that they are infected. This is a serious issue and is why doctors should be offering a baseline HIV test to ALL patients, regardless of their PERCEIVED risk and a schedule of HIV further HIV tests depending on a person's ACTUAL HIV risk. We know that a majority of HIV infections that occur are transmitted when the infected partner is in the acute stage (highly infectious, unaware of infection). Hope this helps

BJC

HIV tests tend to be the most accurate around 1 to 3 months after infection. Unfortunately, the newly-infected person tends to be the most contagious before that time period, so yes, it is very much a bad situation. Always use condoms or insist that a partner does. Don't risk it.

Nikki

If you were unfortunately infected it can take up to 17 weeks before you show up as positive.

Slim

check some websites

john

either way i hope that person still uses protection when having sex.

Devious

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