Can a person have HIV and still test negative?
Can a person have HIV and still test negative?
While many HIV tests are extremely accurate, they do not achieve 100% accuracy. A false negative is a test result that says a person does not have HIV when, in fact, they do. False negative results most often occur when people test in the first few weeks after infection, during the ‘window period’ of a test.
Can you have HIV and never test positive?
Antibodies are still present in individuals living with HIV—even people who have suppressed their viral load. That means people living with HIV will still test positive for HIV on an antibody HIV test even if their viral load is undetectable.
How accurate is the rapid test HIV?
HIV tests are between 99% and 100% reliable. Newer, so-called combination or fourth generation tests and other lab-based tests are close to 100% accurate. Rapid or at-home tests are right around 99% of the time if you’ve been infected for a while.
Does a negative HIV test result mean I don’t have HIV?
A negative result doesn’t necessarily mean that you don’t have HIV. This is due to the window period. If you test again after the window period, have no possible HIV exposure during the window period, and the result comes back negative, you do not have HIV.
What does it mean when a baby test positive for HIV?
• Babies are considered HIV positive if they test positive on 2 of the 3 preliminary HIV tests. Babies who test positive for HIV antibodies still need to be tested again at 15 to 18 months. A positive HIV antibody result after 18 months of age confirms HIV infection in children.
Can a western blot test be negative for HIV?
If positive, a confirmatory test, such as the Western Blot, must be done and come back positive before a person can be told he or she has tested HIV positive! A positive screening ELISA test and negative confirmatory Western Blot test is considered to be a negative HIV test! (Such was the case with your wife.)
Can pregnancy cause indeterminate HIV antibody tests?
Pregnancy is one of the potential reasons for indeterminate HIV-antibody tests due to the presence of nonspecific cross-reacting antibodies. I’m very confident that “more accurate” tests will once again confirm your negative HIV status. Don’t go insane; you’re fine, OK? Dr. Bob HIV…Scared (PREGNANCY AND FALSE POSITIVE HIV TESTS) Jan 18, 2009
