HIV Test: The Top Ten Questions Answered

[rayethon]

Thank you, very interesting doctor.



[TheKmanOfSmash]

Why is it a negative thing to have antibodies for a foreign pathogen such as HIV? Aren't antibodies supposed to be a sign of an active immune system? Based on the criteria for the test, common sense would tell me that the more at-risk people for disease are the ones that fail the HIV test (HIV-negative, meaning that they have no antibodies to the disease). Isn't this the reason as to why we get vaccines?

[AIDSvideos]

@TheKmanOfSmash: Learn more. Having antibodies to a virus doesn't mean that you are immune to the virus in the case of every virus. People with herpes have antibodies to herpes virus, but the virus is still inside them and they still may get outbreaks. People with HIV have antibodies to HIV, but the virus is still inside their nuclear DNA and circulating in their bloodstream. The presence of antibodies in the blood to a virus does not guarantee immunity in the case of every virus.

[muqadarsingh69]

hi there, i m muqadar and i get my results hiv negative after 3 months, 6 and 8 months after having unprotected sex, doctors said u are negative and not need any furthur testing, they found hepatitis b and uritheritis in my samples, but why there are symptoms of hiv like purple bloches and red dots in my mouth exists? is purple and red dots is only the sign of hiv ?

i also have tonsillitis, is the problem of tonsillitis can also give red and purple dots in mouth? should i go for furthur test ?

[AIDSvideos]

@muqadarsingh69: This is Eric; I'm not a doctor; I can't diagnose anything. Ask your doctor about your symptoms. Purple and red dots in your mouth could mean various things. Ask your doctor. You might ask whether you should be tested for syphilis, for example.

[bornthiswaylouislove]

hey doctore went to a hospital and i did the hiv test and i was negative and they took blood from me like a lot not just littel so what can of blood test was that ? is it the pcr .. please let me know i am really scred and i need help am never having sex agian

[AIDSvideos]

@bornthiswaylouislove: This is Eric; I'm not a doctor. I can't tell you what test they performed. *Usually* an ELISA test is used for initial HIV screening. Ask your doctor what test they did and whether you need a follow-up test later. In the meantime, don't panic. You say your test returned HIV-, which is good news!

[mymegrg1]

hello Eric, i have taken pcr test after 13 days from possible exposer, result came out negative. i read few articles online which say one has to wait at least 2-3 weeks before taking pcr test. i just want to know how accurate is this result after 13 days. this video says 9-11 days are sufficient for virus to multiply which can be detected?

thank you Eric

[AIDSvideos]

@mymegrg1: This is Eric; I'm not a doctor. Glad your test returned negative. I'm not sure what you read online. The data in this video was all believed to be accurate at the time we wrote the script and filmed it. Normally, ELISA is used for initial screening, not PCR. I don't know data on PCR accuracy and false positive/false negative rates for it when used for initial screening. Talk to your doctor and get their advice for any further screening.

[thepotatovagina]

does anyone know how long it takes for the results of an aids test to come back?

[AIDSvideos]

@thepotatovagina: First test (ELISA) can often give you result within 15 minutes on-site. I believe that processing the Western Blog (second test) takes a while longer.

[mymegrg1]

hello eric i did go check for hiv but result came out negative as expected. is my 12th day i see 2 red dots about a size of small ant. one little right of bellybutton and one underneath armpit. i am keep track of this since yesterday but haven't see any other spots around the original spot. is this a sign of infection? how long does it take to develop rash or all rash come at once? thanks eric

[AIDSvideos]

@mymegrg1: This is Eric; I'm not a doctor. Not all people who contract HIV get any symptoms during primary HIV infection at all. For those who do get symptoms, the symptoms vary, as do the time it takes after exposure for symptoms to begin. Therefore, it's impossible for a layperson (or a doctor for that matter) to say over the Internet what the cause of the symptoms you're experiencing there are. Ask a doctor about your symptoms.

[mymegrg1]

is it possible to have early hiv symptoms within 1 week after possible exposer to hiv virus? i had a feel of something stuck on my throat on 4th day but wasn't painful and 5th days i had dry throat. during this time got mild headache, feeling of weakness and possible mild fever but my body temperature did go up. could this be sign of hiv infection.. thanks, i will greatly appreciate if anyone with knowledge could answer this question .

[AIDSvideos]

@mymegrg1: This is Eric; I'm not a doctor. It's difficult to say what's the SOONEST that primary HIV symptoms can occur. See a doctor, tell them your symptoms and risk factors for HIV exposure, get tested for HIV, and follow their instructions including follow-up testing. All adults should be tested for HIV anyway.

[WinterNara]

I would like to ask , im not sure whether i got it or not . But i havent had any of the basic symptoms yet except this situation which is "precum" . Be it either sexually aroused or not , it still happens sometimes . Not alot , but just abit . Whats the problem which causes this ?

[AIDSvideos]

@WinterNara: This is Eric; I'm not a doctor. I don't really understand your question. Are you sure the liquid you're seeing is precum and not something else? Some STDs can cause fluid emissions if I'm not mistaken. But again, I'm not a doctor. See a doctor and be evaluated for whatever your concerns or symptoms are, and get tested for HIV and anything else the doctor recommends while you're there. Good luck!

[TheJayJay023]

Man this scares me but I got it done and everything was clear!!!! I was shutting bricks!

[AIDSvideos]

@TheJayJay023: Great job on having the courage to get tested!

[sonicfan23]

Thank you for this video. Great information.

[navedzj]

window period is 3 months not 6 months.....

[AIDSvideos]

@navedzj: It's a question of at what confidence level you define "window period." Per CDC: “Ninety-seven percent of persons will develop antibodies in the first 3 months following the time of their infection .... In very rare cases, it can take up to 6 months to develop antibodies to HIV.” So 97% of the time, people will seroconvert after 3 months (window period = up to 3 months for those people), but 3% of the time it takes longer.

[alosha22]

very clear thank you

[AIDSvideos]

@alosha22: You're welcome, and thanks for the kind words!

[Sahar736]

I just got my STD results back today. All results for all of the STDs I tested for were "Negative" and "Non-reactive", meaning that my doctor found no traces of any STDs in my body secretions or blood. I guess I must be clean, right? Could give help me out?

[AIDSvideos]

@Sahar736: This is Eric; I'm not a doctor. Ask your doctor for help interpreting your HIV/STD test results. Generally speaking, "negative" is always better than "positive." ;-) However remember that for HIV, for example, it can take as long as 6 months in some cases to turn positive on an HIV test.

[KatiushaVN4]

Very clear and informative. Thanks!

[Luckychannel11]

thanks !

[thestrokessss]

This was very informative! I appreciate the clear and simplified explanations. Thank you! =)

[lacrosseman2461]

I have a question to anybody reading this right now. I had a threesome a couple days ago with this girl we meet at college and my friend. As far as i know my friend doesnt have hiv, he has told me before that he has never had vaginal sex with anyone, just oral. To get to the point, a very very small amount of the girl's vaginal fluid (wetness) managed to get into my mouth. Also at the end my friend got some semen into her mouth but she spit it out/she then gave me oral. Could i have a hiv?

[scgirl791]

@lacrosseman2461 check out thebody.com

[Olekander]

@lacrosseman2461 Realistically not. Changes are higher you'll die from a piano falling on your head.

[AIDSvideos]

@lacrosseman2461: Yes. Get tested & follow your doctor's instructions.

[luxiloveu]

is a 11 week antibody test reliable...how accurate is it...doctor say it is should be..however am still worried... test was done in Canada recently..i am a healthy male

[adampa84]

thanks!

[imamagnetum]

so, i would never take the test, i get exposed everyday.

[AIDSvideos]

@imamagnetum: Please do two things. (1) Take steps so you're at lower risk of being exposed to HIV. If you're sexually active, use a condom. If you inject drugs, don't share needles. (2) Get tested to find out your current status, and follow the doctor's instructions for any follow-up testing. If you're really being exposed to HIV daily, change your life so you aren't being exposed daily. Your quality of life and length of life matter!

[DidiT1979]

I'm sorry you are absolutely right. My question is can the results be relied upon? How accurate are the results?

[AIDSvideos]

@DidiT1979: From TheBody web site: "In the clinical studies by the manufacturer, the OraQuick oral fluid test correctly identified 99.3% of people who were infected with HIV-1 (sensitivity) and 99.9% of people who were not infected with HIV-1 (specificity). The Food and Drug Administration expects clinical laboratories to obtain similar results."

[DidiT1979]

what about rapid tests?

[AIDSvideos]

@DidiT1979: What is your question regarding rapid tests? "What about" is too vague for me to know what information you're seeking.

[fid78577]

Sorry I didn't finish my question the question was that if a PCR Qualitative by DNA after 11 weeks be assuring?

[AIDSvideos]

@fid78577: This is Eric; I'm not a doctor. You appear to be asking what the false negative rate on a PCR Qualitative test would be after 11 weeks. I haven't researched that question and don't have the time to research it unfortunately. Please ask your doctor if you have questions about the meaning of your HIV test result and follow any instructions they give you for follow-up testing.

[fid78577]

I was exposed to HIV in the first week of January 2010 and I went to get tested with and ELISA 11 weeks after my exposure it cam back negative. I wasn't satisfied with those results so I had the PCR Qualitative by DNA performed also 11 weeks after possible exposure. and that one came back negative fir HIV 1. My question to you is if the PCR

[ahsan8720]

Yha...i got tested about the 1 week and the one month after the possible exposure..the both tests were negative..the method they used was particle agglutination..thts why i am askng u tht cn i rely on the test result..plz help me..and i hav 1 more ques..is there any video about the particle agglutination test on youtube,where i can find some infromation..?plz..plz..ans me and help me...i m so tensed....thank you..plz..ans..plz..

[ahsan8720]

Halo....does it mean that,there are enough antibodies at the time i will have some symptoms in body to detect hiv?..and i also want to know that how acucrate the particle agglutination/serodia test is...?plz ans.....and save me...

[AIDSvideos]

@ahsan8720: This is Eric; I'm not a doctor. Get tested; ask your questions to a staff person at the clinic where you get tested.

[KING5TORM1418]

Whats the name of the test you claim could give you results from your home? How much would it cost? Please send me a PM please, Thank you.

[AIDSvideos]

Home Access Express HIV-1 Test System available for $59.99 at pharmacies like Walgreens in the U.S. is one example. Note that with these systems, you take a sample at home and mail it in to the lab and get your results anonymously using a code number in the kit.

[apache64d]

In the video explained that in rare cases it can take up to 6 months to developed antibodies to hiv. What kind of "rare cases" does the doctor mean? Is there any conditions or other virus/dieases that can effect ELISA results, in this case longer window period?

[AIDSvideos]

This is Eric; I'm not a doctor. The "rare cases" she's referring to are typically people whose immune system is compromised, which means it's slower to respond and develop antibodies. People who are on immunosuppression medication (e.g. after a transplant) are one example I recall. I believe that chemotherapy and radiation exposure are other possible causes of immunosuppression that could cause it to take longer for the test to show HIV+.

[ethanhines]

Question 10: Can I request a Western Blot test if my ELISA is negative?

Question 11: Do all home based testing require sending in the sample or can results be determined at home much like a pregancy test?

[AIDSvideos]

#10: That wouldn't make sense. Western Blot is only to be used for confirmation after a *positive* ELISA. It's not intended to be used for primary screening (which is essentially what you're suggesting). The reason has to do with the relative rates of false positives and false negatives on the two tests. #11: I'm not sure whether ALL home-based tests require sending in the sample; the one I'm aware of does, but there could be others I don't know about.

[AIDSvideos]

This is Eric; I'm not a doctor; this is not a doctor's opinion. Get tested just to be safe. Better to know than to wonder. Follow the doctor's instructions for any follow-up testing. Then you'll definitely not have to worry because you'll have done the right thing and made sure.

[AIDSvideos]

This is Eric; I'm not a doctor. We know that HIV is present within breast milk and that people (typically children) who drink that milk can contract HIV from it. There's no reason to think that the risk of HIV transmission through breast milk should be exclusive to nursing infants only and not adults, so yes, for an adult to drink breast milk should be considered a risk factor for HIV. Know your partner's status and get tested yourself & follow your doctor's instructions.

[DATBXTRANSGIRLCAS]

where do u get this test at? online?

[AIDSvideos]

You can buy it over the counter at major pharmacies.

[GottesEnde]

This fucking illness is more important than contraception, gys!!!

[ghamaa50]

How long does take to preform PCR test?

[terryabcdefg]

Is Dr. Kuhn going to show us if latex condoms offer any protection? Or offer no protection at all? The news said condoms have pores and HIV gets through them.

[AIDSvideos]

This is Eric; I'm not a doctor. If used correctly every time, condoms offer extremely good (thought not perfect) reduction of the risk of HIV transmission. See our video "The Importance of Condom Compliance" for details. Latex pores are not the issue. Condoms have multiple layers of latex so pores don't overlap, which is why condoms can hold water or air like a balloon, even though oxygen and water molecules are smaller than latex pores.

[fuckserbrussians1]

dont become infected if u dont want to die prematurely the only solution,we have a corrupt and asshole government they probably do have a cure for it

[garybooker]

I sincerely hope that the viewers of this video will take the time to listen thoroughly to the information presented here, and not half-listen so that they can respond with spam from a denialist website. This virus isn't going anywhere until we come up with a cure for it.

[saintfletcher]

Simple, well presented and clear. Thank you for explaining a window peroid. They used to say that it was up to 8 months. I hope this helps take away some myths from some crazy YouTubers who claim that HIV is not AIDS. They are annoying and don't seem to change. Although, as usual, they tend to be from the west coast of the USA. That conspiracy theory never made it to Australia. Another video on my video player. Blessings +^+^+ The Saint