Question
When will I know my result and other questions?
16 December 2007. Related: All topics, HIV transmission.
Sir,
Thank u to answer this question.
I had a sex (vaginal) sex with sex worker in November mid 2007. At that time, I used condom. But unfortunately the condom tore.
Now I am worried about the incident. I realised my fault. But day by day in my mind the fear increases.
After 1 week of exposure, I have taken HIV serology test. And it was Non-Reactive.
But I know that test was taken in the window period.
What my questions are,
1. Are the tests 100% reliable?
2. What is the minimum and maximum duration for window period?
3. HIV Serology test is enough to find out HIV?
Answer
Different guidelines say that the antibody (serology) tests are reliable in more than 95% after 30-40 days. They are more than 99.99% accurate after 2-3 months. Very few tests are 100% accurate because lab error is always possible.
Fourth generation HIV tests can sometimes detect infection after 2-3 weeks, and 95% of infection after 4 weeks.
There is no need to use other tests (such as viral load) after this time.