Expert: Kristen Brannock, MPH - 4/28/2004

Question
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Followup To
Question -
Hi there!  I was told that if you think that you are infected with HIV, you have to wait at least a year to get tested because that's how long it takes for it to show up in your system.  Is this true?  If not, then how long does it take for it to show up in your system?  Thank you!
Answer -
The window period for HIV is 3-6 months. That means that it usually takes the body anywhere from 3-6 months to produce enough HIV antibodies to be detected by the ELISA (test). The vast majority of people will seroconvert by 3 months, but it takes a small number longer. It does not take a year.

Okay thank you!  Also, how much of the population would you say has HIV?  Would you say it's 1 person out of 10 or 20.....etc.?  And is the AIDS test the same test as an HIV test?  Because when I went to my doctor & got tested, I don't think I knew the difference between AIDS & HIV, so I think I did the AIDS test and it came up okay. (Meaning I don't have it) So I was just wondering if both tests test for the same thing...like if you get tested for AIDS, will it check for HIV also?  

Answer
I'm not sure what the prevalence of HIV is...you can probably do a search on the web and find it though.

HIV is the human immunodeficiency virus which is what leads to AIDS. AIDS is a syndrome of different sicknesses that result from a weakened immune system (caused by HIV). There really is not a "test" for AIDS. If a person is HIV+, has a CD4 count of 200 or below and has had an opportunistic infection, then they are given and AIDS diagnosis. Testing for HIV will not tell a person if they have progressed to the advanced stage of AIDS, but an AIDS diagnosis is not given unless the person is HIV+.