HIV Antibody Testing

The most common test used to determine if you have been infected with HIV (the virus that causes AIDS) is called the ‘HIV Antibody Test’. When the body is infected with germs, one of the ways it responds is by producing antibodies. The antibodies the body produces to fight HIV are different from the antibodies it produces to fight off measles. The HIV antibody test gives a positive result when your body as produced antibodies to HIV. Thus the test is for the antibodies to HIV and not for HIV itself. It can take from a few weeks to more than 3 months after infection before the body produces HIV antibodies. This period when you have HIV but do not have the antibodies is known as the window period.

Thus, if someone says “I am HIV-positive” then this is a result that means they have been infected with HIV in the past and remain infected. If someone says “I am HIV-negative” then it means that they received a negative antibody test the last time they were tested for HIV-antibodies. Unlike a positive test, it is no guarantee that they are actually HIV-negative. However, if someone has been tested negative twice three months apart and has only had safe sex since then, then it is likely that they have not been infected with HIV. But the statement “I am HIV-negative”, if used by someone who has tested but has had unprotected sex since that time or by someone who has never been tested, is no assurance about their current status.

That is why it is important to get tested every three months if you are sexually active. So, making a decision to have sex without condoms because your last test showed that you are HIV- is not the best plan. Plus, STDs are still around and can easily be transmitted. Did you know that having an STD increase the possibility of acquiring or transmitting HIV? It’s true.

In the first two months of 2005 there were more reported cases of syphilis infection than in the first half of 2004 alone. That means, statistically speaking, we could have 2 to 3 times as many cases of syphilis this year than we did last year. What’s the big deal? Consider that five years ago there was nary a case of syphilis in King County and you get the picture. From 2000 to 2004 there were approximately 400 cases of syphilis reported in King County, and that was just in gay and bi men.

One of the symptoms of syphilis is a large, painless sore called a chancre. But a lot of guys don’t even get a sore, or show any other symptoms of infection. So, how do you know if you’ve got it? Simple. Get tested. Syphilis can be easily treated by a doc, so it’s important to find out early on. Below is a handy little guide to let you know how often you should get tested, not just for syph, but for other STDs as well.

Click here to find out where to get tested in Seattle/King County

The Hepatitis Education Project (HEP) offers free Hepatitis C testing at their offices, located in The Maritime Building at 911 Western Ave. #302 (between Marion and Madison). Currently, testing is by appointment only. Please call (206) 732-0311 or (800) 218-6932 to set up an appointment. Or e-mail hepinfo@hepeducation.org.

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