Question
Did I infect my boyfriend?
17 August 2012. Related: All topics, Newly diagnosed.
Hi,
I was diagnosed with HIV in November 2011 & started taking ARVs in February because my CD4 count was low (248), but have never showed any signs of sickness. My partner is has also been tested positive, but hasn’t started on ARVs because his CD4 count still looks a bit good.
Could it be possible that I am the one that has infected him???
This really worries me.
Answer
Hi,
Thanks for your question.I’m sorry to hear about your recent diagnosis and the stress you are under. Do you have any support to help you come to terms with finding out you are HIV positive?
CD4 counts are not a very good indicator of when somebody was infected. People respond differently to HIV, and have different CD4 counts at the same stage of infection.
This means it’s not possible to tell by looking at your CD4 count whether you or your boyfriend was infected first. It’s normal to worry about who was infected first, and to feel guilty about this. But as this previous question answers it’s usually nobody’s fault: I have infected my partner. What shall I do?
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