Question
Can the virus hide from tests?
10 June 2010. Related: All topics, HIV testing, HIV transmission.
Hi,
7 weeks ago I had sex with someone who is HIV positive. 8 days after the encounter I develop muscle aches joint pains headaches and shortness of breath. It last for 26 days and now I have the same symptoms but not as bad as the first 26 days. I have been to the doctor 5 times in they haven’t found anything.
Last week I had a RNA PCR test and a rapid antibody test they both came back negative. Is it possible that the virus can be hidden in the body? Before the incident I was in good shape I’m 26 years old and never had a problem with my health, should I go to a HIV specialist because I’m almost positive that I caught the virus and I don’t want to put my wife at risk?
Answer
Thank you for your question.
You cannot know if you caught HIV or not. Only a test will tell you the answer to this. You have had several tests all of which were negative. You do not have HIV. The tests look for an immune response that shows in any blood sample, so this is not a question of the virus hiding. Your symptoms may be a result of anxiety or another infection altogether.
If you are worried about putting your wife at risk then you should follow this link to read about how protect yourself from HIV infection.
Hi Nkechi,
i-base advocates aren’t medical doctors. Therefore, you need to talk to a doctor where you live.
hi doctors thanks for ur answer, u said this organization is not what I need. please advise me on what to do. thanks
Hi Nkechi,
If you are testing negative, this means that you are negative. Therefore i-base aren’t the organisation that you need.
On November 2016 I engage myself in an unprotected sex. and since then I have been falling ill, and now I have slimed down and I have gone for test in two different places and am testing negative. The first test I went was 4 months after exposure then the second one was at the end of may. cloud it be that is not yet time to show in a test am so scared because am still having some symptoms but I was diagnosed with typhoid and malaria fever but I have taken medications and symptoms still persist please doctor what could possibly wrong with me?
Hi Precious,
Having to wait up to 18 months can be hard. However it is something that all mothers who are HIV positive have to go through. That said, if he’s already tested negative, this is a great sign.
Hi
It’s Precious again.The kind of test used to my son was PCR and I only breasfed for 2days after delivery but i’m still worried because I think the result will change when he is tested again at the age of 18 months.Can I stop panicking and expect the likelyhood of negative results in future?
Hi Precious,
Its great to hear that your son has tested negative. This is great news.
I hope now that you can move on.
Hi Lisa
My son tested negative at 6/12 and i haven’t been with anyone after my first boyfriend except my baby’s father and also not used any kind of drugs.
Hi Precious,
If you tested negative several times after leaving your first boyfriend, it won’t be him who you contracted HIV from.
Unless you’ve had sex with someone other than your second boyfriend or injected drugs, then yes it sounds like you contracted HIV from them. As to whether this happened during or after your pregnancy I can’t say. Therefore, its important that you have your child tested.
I had unprotected sex with a guy on June 2015 and decided to leave him on the same month.I fell in love in love with another guy on July 2015 and start practising unsafe sex on that month.I conceived on the 3rd of October2015 then i went for hiv test on 7 December 2015 and also at the end of March,both results were negative but i tested positive with a cd4count of 556 on 28 December 2016.Is it possible that the first guy has infected me or it’s my second boyfriend infected me after giving birth.