Kelly's Blog

Starting today, for the next 25 days we are going to share 25 things you should know about HIV and probably don’t.

Here at MyHIVAIDSAwareness.com, we focus on researching credible and trustworthy sources of information. Our team thoroughly reviews the mountains of data – some opinion and some fact – to present simple personal solutions that can make a difference in living with HIV/AIDS.

We come across a tremendous amount of information that can be sometimes confusing and contradictory. We have identified these 25 things that you should know because they impact your actions and what path you take.

I have shared a favorite quote before, but I’d like to share it again. “There’s a difference between knowing the path and walking the path.” ~Morpheus

DAY 1: The truth about HIV testing

The standard HIV test looks for the presence of HIV antibodies in your blood. It doesn’t test for the presence of the virus in your system. This means a lot when you are talking about knowing your status for sure.

Why is this important to you?

If you are infected with HIV, your body responds by producing special proteins to fight the infection. These are called antibodies and are part of your immune system response. An HIV antibody test looks for these antibodies in your blood, saliva or urine. If antibodies to HIV are detected in your body, it means you have been infected with HIV.

It takes most people 6 – 12 weeks to develop detectable HIV antibodies after infection. Very rarely, it can take up to 6 months and that usually means you have some other auto-immune disorder.  It is very unlikely that it would take longer than 6 months to develop antibodies in your body.

The time between when you are infected and when your body produces antibodies is called the “window period”.

During the window period you will test negative for HIV antibodies, but could still be infected and transmit HIV to others. To avoid false negatives, antibody tests are recommended three months after potential exposure to HIV infection. A second test at six months will confirm you are HIV negative ONLY if you don’t have continued risk of exposure.

How does this affect your path?

It means that you could be infecting others for up to three months after you are infected and not know it because you test negative.  Unless you don’t expose yourself to risk of HIV infection for a period of six months, you really don’t know for sure that you are HIV negative – no matter what your latest test says.  To prevent potentially exposing others, you’ve got to assume you are HIV positive and take safe sex precautions.

The power is yours. Which path will you choose?

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