Hello everyone
Can anyone help me? I'm trying to find out more about HIV testing.
Specifically, how long the window period might conceivably be (ie the
longest possible time) between individual exposure and a definitive negative
diagnosis, provided further exposure to risk does not occur. I'm
particularly interested to know what this time period might be for babies,
but it would be useful for me to know what happens with adults too - eg the
pediatric HIV testing protocol for industrialized countries, eg the USA, UK
or Australia, and maybe adult post-exposure testing.
I am assuming that HIV-infected mothers in these countries would be advised
not to breastfeed. And what I'm really trying to establish is for how long
after birth would a non-breastfed baby of an HIV+ mother undergo testing to
establish that the baby was *not* infected? Would this be 6 weeks, 2
months, 4 months, 6 months, or even longer? And what kind of test would be
used?
Regarding post-exposure testing for adults, eg needlesticks, contaminated
blood transfusions, sexual exposure etc? For how long would the exposed
person be advised to go for HIV testing, and maybe repeat HIV testing, to
clearly establish that they are *not* infected?? And again, what kind of
test would be used?
I know about the usual window periods for ELISA and PCR tests in breastfed
babies. What I'm trying to find out is if *different* time frames are used
in other kinds of exposure - eg babies not exposed to the risk of HIV in
breastmilk, or adults exposed to others kinds of risk of transmission. And
if so - why?
Anecdotal advice will be very helpful. Citations from protocols, research
articles - anything - would be even *more* helpful, because I need to quote
them. Many thanks.
Pamela Morrison IBCLC
Harare, Zimbabwe
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