It’s a Family Affair
My late husband developed AIDS and died five months after being diagnosed with HIV. We have one four year-old child, and my child and I tested negative for HIV after my husband was diagnosed, and I have not had sex with my husband or anyone since that time. The last time I was tested was six months after my exposure, and I tested negative with both the ELISA and Western Blot tests. My doctor says I am most likely negative but advised me to check again after six months, a year after my exposure.
Is there any chance of becoming HIV-positive after the sixth-month window period?
Is there any chance of ELISA or Western Blot tests falsely indicating no HIV infection because of certain body conditions?
Are there other HIV tests that could confirm my HIV status?
I have not had my child tested since I was testing negative. Should I? How safe is my child now from HIV?
Are there other couples where one party is HIV-infected and the other is not? Is there a medical reason why I am not infected?
Dear Family:
As your doctor mentioned, 99% of people who have been infected with HIV will test positive within three months after their most recent exposure. In very rare cases, a few health workers did not test positive until 6–12 months after exposure. If you have had repeatedly negative HIV antibody test results for one year after your most recent exposure, then no additional tests are needed. However, this negative test result does not prevent you from becoming infected by another partner at a future date! Your four year-old child does not need additional HIV testing unless he has been exposed to HIV-infected fluids such as blood, semen, or vaginal secretions within 3–6 months before his last test or any time afterwards.
In order to receive a positive HIV test result, one has to test positive on both ELISA and Western Blot. The ELISA may have a false positive result if a person has other medical conditions. There are no known medical conditions that cause false negative ELISA results. However, HIV antibody tests done using oral swabs may give false negative results if not administered properly. Once someone tests positive on the ELISA, a Western Blot is done to confirm the results.
There are many couples in which one person has HIV and the other does not. One famous example is former NBA basketball star Magic Johnson and his wife Cookie, who remains HIV negative after many years of marriage. The average risk of transmitting HIV during one episode of vaginal sex is much less than 1%. Therefore, while any exposure can lead to infection, every exposure does not lead to infection.
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Tonia Poteat, MMSC, PA-C, MPH, AAHIVS, has been providing medical care to people with HIV since 1996. She currently works as a physician assistant at the Grady Infectious Disease Program in Atlanta, Georgia. |
Helpful online resources include:
Is your health care provider an HIV specialist™?
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AAHIVM HIV Specialists™ are:
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AAHIVM HIV Specialists™ are experienced HIV care providers who earn their “AAHIVS” professional designation letters every two years by passing a rigorous exam on all aspects of HIV medicine, and by completing required HIV-focused continuing medical education
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Due to the space limitations, all submitted questions cannot be answered in this column but we are making every effort to ensure you receive the information you have requested from the HIV Specialist™. For more information about AAHIVM, call 202-659-0699 |
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