Hi. Am sharot from Uganda I had possible exposure on 17th July condom broke with man tested HIV positive.at 2nd August I tested, at 14th September non reactive the value number was 0.9,9th October negative they use alert determani rapid HIV test ag/ab, and at 27th October alert determine (ab) negative.my question is do I need to get tested again at 6months? coz I got all symptoms and I still have flu-like symptoms.

Hi,

This website is based in Canada, and we cannot comment on the tests you had done in Uganda. I don’t know if they are the same tests we use in Canada, or if the tests are different.

In Canada, the 4th generation HIV test (AG/AB) is not a rapid test, but a blood tube we send to the lab. This test is 75% accurate at 3 weeks, and 100% after 3 months.

We also have the rapid test (called an Insiti test) which is a 3rd generation HVI test (AB only). This test is 90% after 4 weeks, and 100% after 3 months.

If you used our test, we would say that you don’t have HIV given a negative test from Oct 27th, which is more than 3 months past the date of potential exposure.

I would just ask the people who did your testing for the window period of the test they used. I would be surprised if it is very different than the 4th generation test we use.

Lastly, regarding your flu-like symptoms, those symptoms can be caused by mange things, including stress, seasonal cold/flu, etc. We would not suspect HIV just based on your symptoms.

Hope this helps!

Please feel free to submit another question if needed

Health Nurse

This answer was posted on November 10, 2018.

This answer was updated on February 7, 2022.

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