HIV Concerns and Repeat Tests

Dear Ask The Doctor: Hi i had un protected relation on 30-1-2011 i made the aliza test 5 times last one was 25-11-2011 and all were negative is it sure 100% now that i do not have HIV? please help!!

Dear Mo: This is a very difficult phase that you are going through, being told that one has HIV is very distressing and I can relate to your concern. Most of the screening HIV test nowadays  produce  accurate results, of course there is another kind of test, confirmatory test: Western Blot, which is usually done when the screening test comes out positive. For most of the people antibodies to HIV take 6 weeks to 3 months to develop, sometimes, in very rare cases, may take up to 6 months. For this reason, getting tested before 3 months have passed may result in an unclear test result, as the infected person may not yet have developed antibodies to HIV. These 3 – 6 months are known as the 'window period'. Many people do not show symptoms after they first get infected with HIV. Others have a flu-like illness within several days to weeks after exposure to the virus. Since two ELISA tests have been negative, your chances of being tested positive in a repeat Western Blot or a Viral Load PCR is low. I hope I could clear some of your doubts and concerns.