Question

Based on what the HIV tests are testing for, why is it recommended to go back and retest for HIV after three months? (Site 1)

Answer 1

If you take a test in a health care setting, when it's time to take the test, a health care provider will take your sample (blood or oral fluid), and you may be able to wait for the results if it's a rapid HIV test. If the test comes back negative, and you haven't had an exposure for 3 months, you can be confident you're not infected with HIV.

If your HIV test result is positive, you may need to get a follow-up test to be sure you have HIV.

Your health care provider or counselor may talk with you about your risk factors, answer questions about your general health, and discuss next steps with you, especially if your result is positive.

HIV has become a very manageable disease with many only having to take one pill a day, but the virus is constantly evolving or mutating, so one has to be extra vigilant and take all medications according to compliance. The biggest failures in a therapy is non-compliance.

Answer 2

The patient should be tested for HIV because of the window of infection that this virus has.

Step-by-step explanation:

The immunological window for HIV is the period from the date of infection with the HIV virus that causes AIDS to the date when the body's specific HIV antibodies are detectable in blood tests (seroconversion).

Tests to see if someone has HIV are usually done by detecting antibodies to the HIV virus in their blood. Therefore, during the immunological window period, a person can be tested and the result is false negative, that is, he has the disease, has the HIV virus in the bloodstream, but has not yet produced specific antibodies against HIV.

In the case of HIV, the immunological window varies widely, from 2 weeks to 120 days. Hence the test will be more reliable if performed 3 months after the alleged infection (risk behavior such as unprotected sex). Ideally, the exam should be repeated after 3 months and after 6 months.