Question:

Dear Doctor:
I have a question regarding my friend, she's so worried... She just had and new partner and first exposure on October. She really didn't even know the guy but he looks like healthy. All we know about him is that he had a monogamous relationship lasted for 3 years which was good, but my friend wanted to make sure. She went to the doctor and got an HIV test 4 weeks ( I think that was ELISA test performed at unilab) and was negative but I told her that 4 weeks is not enough because of what I've read on the internet, but then she didn't want to get tested again. She ended up buying an HIV home kit from the internet which was not a good idea and it came out positive. She was so depressed and she had suicidal thoughts, so as a friend I helped her. I search on the internet that that there's a lot of HIV home kits that do not aprroved by the FDA that give inaccurate result especially those from the internet, so I told her to get tested again. She went to the doctor in April after she did the HIV home kit in February. It came out negative and she was so happy. But I don't know what happened to her that she really wanted to get tested again .She told me that she was not sure if the test is accurate and she had this thought that maybe the HIV home test kit that she used especially the lancet were used and contaminated with HIV virus . She was so depressed again, she had nightmares, I really don't know if she was just overreacting. She had a series of tests again on May it came out negative and again on June which was negative. So she had four HIV tests done in 8 months after exposure.Does she still need to retests again? Could the HIV home test kit that she used be contaminated with HIV, but the lancet was sealed before she used it? I really don't know, I think my friend needs a lot of help this time. She even freaked out when she got pricked with a sensor in the department store and she thought that she might get an HIV from that. I really need your advice for my friend.She just needs know that she's fine. Help!!!!!!

Answer provided by:

Marty Markowitz, M. D.
Clinical Director
Staff Investigator, Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center
Associate Professor, Rockefeller University

Home HIV testing is a generally reliable test however it is likely that the person was too nervous to perform it properly.

The likelihood of acquiring HIV from a "used" lancet that is packed in a kit is 0. Shared needles must be used near sumultaneously in order for transmission to occur...this is not possible here.

Your friend has tested repeatedly negative and does not to be retested.

I would urge both of you to talk to your doctors or so some reading regarding HIV transmission....it appears that your friend has some fears that need to be addressed.

HIV is NOT contracted by cuts ....it requires sexual contact or contact with blood or blood products...HIV does not live outside the body on surfaces....

AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted grants from Boehringer Ingelheim, Elton John AIDS Foundation, John M. Lloyd Foundation, Roche and Trimeris, the National Library of Medicine, Bridgestone/Firestone Charitable Trust, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, and donations from users like you. Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2003. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1980, 2003. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content.