Monday, May 26, 2014

12 HIV Myths Dispelled

HIV myth #9: Only high-risk people should be tested for HIV.
An estimated 20% of people infected with HIV don't know they have the virus. That's why the CDC recommends that everyone between the ages of 16 and 65 who are sexually active to get an HIV test at least once.

"Health-care providers sometimes are reluctant to bring it up, and patients certainly are," Dr. Englund says. "But just like we do routine cholesterol screenings, we should also be screening for HIV."

HIV myth #10: A routine HIV test can detect recent exposure.
"If you were exposed last night or this past weekend, the standard test won't tell you if you are positive," Dr. Englund says.

The standard HIV screening test doesn't detect the virus itself, but rather antibodies to the virus. Those take time to build up in the bloodstream and usually aren't detectable until about three months after exposure.

If you think you've been recently exposed, you can ask for a different HIV blood test that detects the virus itself.

Within 72 hours of exposure, you can also take post-exposure prophylaxis medication.

"It's kind of like a Plan B for HIV," she explains. "We offer it for folks who work in hospitals and get needle-stick exposures, and we do it routinely for sexual assault victims."

But the medication must start within 72 hours of exposure and be taken for 28 days straight to be effective.