Dear Counsellor

A man I had sex with killed himself sometime ago. It is rumoured that he had AIDS. I'm very nervous. I want to take the test right away, but my friend at the clinic told me that, based on the time I had sex with the man, it was too early. How soon should I get tested?

Extremely Nervous

Dear Extremely Nervous

The HIV test looks for antibodies to the virus in a person's blood. For most people, these antibodies take eight weeks to develop.

Some people may take as long as six months to develop these antibodies. Getting tested before the eight-week period may result in an unclear test result. An infected person may not have developed antibodies to HIV before that time. So, your friend at the clinic is right, it is best to wait for at least eight weeks (two months) after the last time you were at risk before taking the test.

A second test

Some health-care providers may recommend testing again in six months, just to be extra sure.

However, since you are nervous and possibly worried, you must talk with an HIV-knowledgeable counsellor in the meantime.

Remember, too, just because you had sex with this man does not mean that you must be infected with HIV, not everyone who are exposed to HIV become infected.