Question
How good is a test at 24 days?
5 November 2010. Related: All topics, HIV testing.
Hi,
I had an unprotected sexual encounter with a random older woman a few weeks ago. I got tested for common STDs a week after and all were negative. 24 days after the incident I had a DUO HIV test which was also negative. Can I forget about the incident? – I have had no flu like symptoms etc.
I know 28 days is conclusive, but how good is a test at 24 days?
Answer
Thank you for your question.
The DUO tests will pick up 95% of infections at 4 weeks after an infection.
Testing earlier than 4 weeks reduces the percentage of infections that would be detected. Most people generate antibodies to HIV between week 3 and 4. Although the antigen part of the test should pick up evidence of an immune response to P24, this might not be present in everyone by week 3-4.
You need to test 90 days after an exposure for a conclusive result.
For more information about testing please follow this link