Question
Can someone be HIV negative but an HIV “carrier”?
26 March 2010. Related: All topics.
Answer
No, people are either HIV positive or HIV negative. There is no such thing as a carrier – and the word is not relevant to HIV.
You cannot tell if anyone is HIV positive. The way to know if someone is HIV positive is if they tell you about their status and they have had conclusive evidence from an HIV test.
For more information on testing and transmission please follow this link to the i-Base factsheet.
Hi Paul,
There’s a few reasons for this, firstly its actually very hard to contract HIV, please see Q5 here: http://i-base.info/qa/what-are-the-most-asked-questions
Also if your wife is on medication and her viral load is undetectable then she cannot transmit the virus to you. See Q’s 9 and 14 at the previous link.
Well,Today I tested negative the umpteenth time!..My wife tested positive in 2016 & while still in denial,I impregnated her.The kid is now 1&4mnths old.
We have also had another boy now 2 mnths.
She swears she doesnt know where it(HIV) came from
Why am I negative?!
Hi Peter,
i-base doesn’t have resources to answer questions about testing. But all frequently asked questions are answered here.
I have bng tested negative several time but still experience the symptons of hiv, what does that mean?
Hi Felix, HIV doesn’t mutate into a lethal form. People can test positive with no, or few, signs of sickness. However, HIV can take many years to cause serious illness. HIV gradually wears out the immune system. So over time people become more likely to get infections and illnesses.
I have had of cases where one tests positive but there are no signs that indicates his/her sickness .I suppose the virus in this individuals is unable to mutate to a lethal form.
Hi Lili
If your bf is taking HIV meds, this will also have protected you and the baby. If he isn’t on treatment or doesn’t have undetectable viral load,it is important to continue using condoms. The word carrier is not relevant to HIV. People are either HIV positive or HIV negative.
Hi
My bf tested positive and i tested negative he found out when i was 2months pregnant and we have been having unprotected sex ever since.
I now have a baby and stil test negative .we r now using a condom bcs im breastfeeding the problem is that im afrid that i may affect the baby if iam a carrier
Hi Paul,
Please see Q5 and Q1 here:
http://i-base.info/qa/what-are-the-most-asked-questions
Very confused on this issue. I have a friend whose girlfriend died of aids. He has had unprotected sex on many occasions but states he is negative. How can this be? If he has unprotected sex with another person, can this person get the aids virus?Would the smartest thing be for this person to have an aids test?