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Testing For HIV
 National
HIV Testing Day (NHTD) is an annual campaign produced by the National
Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA-US) to encourage at-risk individuals to
receive voluntary HIV counseling and testing.
Why test for HIV?
When it comes to HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) disease, knowledge is
power. HIV disease commonly involves a lengthy period - as long as a decade -
between infection and the development of symptoms. People who know they are HIV
infected can be monitored for changes in their condition and for possible
treatment, even before symptoms appear. Individuals who know they are infected
with HIV can also aid prevention efforts by taking the necessary precautions to
avoid spreading the disease through unprotected sex or sharing needles.
Tests for HIV
There are three main types of HIV test.
 The first type of test is the
HIV antibody test. This test shows whether a
person has been infected with HIV, the virus which causes AIDS. Information on
this page concentrates on HIV antibody testing.
The second type of test is P24 antigen testing. It is primarily used to screen
the blood supply but in some places it is used for testing for HIV in
individuals. P24 antigen is a protein that is part of the HIV. Early in the
infection, it is produced in excess and can be detected in the blood serum by a
commercial test. The P24 test can detect HIV infection before the HIV antibody
test can. Therefore, P24 antigen testing is used in diagnosing HIV early in the
course of infection.
How does it spread ?
When HIV (which is a virus) enters a person's body, special chemicals are
produced. These are called antibodies. Antibodies are the body's response to an
infection. So if a person has antibodies to HIV in their blood, it means they
have been infected with HIV (an exception is the case of an HIV negative baby
born to a positive mother, who will retain her antibodies for some months).
Antibody
For most people it takes 3 months for these antibodies to develop. In rare
cases, it can take up to 6 months. It would be extremely uncommon to take longer
than 6 months for antibodies to develop.
Getting tested earlier than 3 months may result in an unclear test result, as an
infected person may not yet have developed antibodies to HIV. The time between
infection and the development of antibodies is called the window period. In the
window period people infected with HIV have no antibodies in their blood that
can be detected by an HIV test. However, the person may already have high levels
of HIV in their blood, sexual fluids or breast milk. HIV can be passed on to
another person during the window period even though an HIV test will not show
that you are infected with HIV. So it is best to wait for at least three months
after the last time you were at risk before taking the test. Some test centres
may recommend testing again at 6 months, just to be extra sure.
It is also important that you are not at further risk of getting infected with
HIV during this time period. The test is only accurate if there are no other
exposures between the time of possible exposure to HIV and testing.
The only way to know for sure whether you are infected with HIV is to have an
HIV antibody test. It is not possible to tell from any symptoms
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