When should I take an HIV test in Australia?
Unfortunately many individuals in Australia are still practicing unprotected sex without knowing with certainty the HIV status of the partner. Obviously this leads to potential infection as well as causing considerable anxiety to the individual once they become concerned about the risk that have taken. Luckily to take an HIV test in Australia is a simple process would various options available to the individual.
One way to the testing becoming more common in Australia is the use of HIV test kits or self-test kits by individuals who prefer to test in the privacy of your own home at their own convenience. So returning to the question of and we ensure that the individual test for HIV it is important to consider that the HIV virus is only detectable through the presence of HIV antibodies in the individual's bloodstream. It is a common reaction following unprotected sex for the individual to wish to test for HIV with urgency. However given that the production of HIV antibodies can take between one and six months there is very little value in testing immediately for the virus. A more common testing schedule is to test at four week intervals for three months. As most people have developed antibodies to the HIV virus within six weeks testing at this stage can be considered their accurate and can be very useful in alleviating the anxiety the individual is feeling in relation to the unknown status.
Testing again at 8 weeks and 12 weeks will further confirm the result and is generally considered to be an adequate window in which the individual should have produced detectable antibodies. Some may go on to test for HIV at six months in order to be totally certain areas in some cases although rare, individuals have been known to take up to six months to develop antibodies.
So with a this information in mind it is obvious that following a potential risk of infection with the HIV virus that as well as testing the individual concerned must also make adjustments to their sexual practices for some considerable time to ensure that not at risk of infecting others. In reality this can be an embarrassing or difficult subject and it may mean sharing the information regarding the potential risk with their current sexual partner.
However inconvenient or embarrassing this may be it is essential to remember that the priority is to clarify the individual's HIV status and to ensure that they do not put others at risk.
One way to the testing becoming more common in Australia is the use of HIV test kits or self-test kits by individuals who prefer to test in the privacy of your own home at their own convenience. So returning to the question of and we ensure that the individual test for HIV it is important to consider that the HIV virus is only detectable through the presence of HIV antibodies in the individual's bloodstream. It is a common reaction following unprotected sex for the individual to wish to test for HIV with urgency. However given that the production of HIV antibodies can take between one and six months there is very little value in testing immediately for the virus. A more common testing schedule is to test at four week intervals for three months. As most people have developed antibodies to the HIV virus within six weeks testing at this stage can be considered their accurate and can be very useful in alleviating the anxiety the individual is feeling in relation to the unknown status.
Testing again at 8 weeks and 12 weeks will further confirm the result and is generally considered to be an adequate window in which the individual should have produced detectable antibodies. Some may go on to test for HIV at six months in order to be totally certain areas in some cases although rare, individuals have been known to take up to six months to develop antibodies.
So with a this information in mind it is obvious that following a potential risk of infection with the HIV virus that as well as testing the individual concerned must also make adjustments to their sexual practices for some considerable time to ensure that not at risk of infecting others. In reality this can be an embarrassing or difficult subject and it may mean sharing the information regarding the potential risk with their current sexual partner.
However inconvenient or embarrassing this may be it is essential to remember that the priority is to clarify the individual's HIV status and to ensure that they do not put others at risk.
