Is rapid HIV test accurate after 5 months?

Your negative HIV rapid test at five months is extremely encouraging. Because you had a significant exposure to a person confirmed to be HIV positive, the CDC recommends one additional follow-up HIV antibody test at the 6 month mark for a conclusive result.

How accurate is a rapid HIV test after 6 months?

HIV tests are between 99\% and 100\% reliable. Newer, so-called combination or fourth generation tests and other lab-based tests are close to 100\% accurate. Rapid or at-home tests are right around 99\% of the time if you’ve been infected for a while.

Is 5 months HIV test conclusive?

Yes. Modern HIV tests are very accurate. Testing earlier, for example after four week, only detects 95\% of infections. Testing earlier needs a confirmatory test three months after the risk.

Is a rapid test conclusive?

For both EIAs and rapid tests, a negative result is conclusive and generally requires no follow up testing. In individuals with possible recent exposure, antibody tests may be negative in the window period before seroconversion so testing should be repeated within 2–3 months.

How long does it take to detect HIV after exposure?

An antigen/antibody test performed by a laboratory on blood from a vein can usually detect HIV infection 18 to 45 days after an exposure. Antigen/ antibody tests done with blood from a finger prick can take longer to detect HIV (18 to 90 days after an exposure). Antibody tests can take 23 to 90 days to detect HIV infection after an exposure.

What happens if my HIV test is negative 3 months later?

If you get an HIV test within 3 months after a potential HIV exposure and the result is negative, get tested again in 3 more months to be sure. If you learned you were HIV-negative the last time you were tested, you can only be sure you’re still negative if you haven’t had a potential HIV exposure since your last test.

What happens if I get tested for HIV outside of hospital?

If you are tested outside of a health care setting or lab (such as at a community-based organization, mobile testing van, or elsewhere) you will likely receive a rapid HIV test (oral fluid or finger stick.) If the test comes back negative, and you haven’t had a possible exposure during the previous 3 months, you can be confident you don’t have HIV.

What is a rapid HIV test and how is it done?

They are called ‘rapid’ tests because the result can usually be given within a few minutes. Most rapid tests detect HIV antibodies. They are not part of HIV itself, but are produced by the human body in response to HIV infection.