Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.



Question:

Thank you for taking the time to read this for me.
My question is...Is a negative ELISA at 13 weeks and 4 days reliable or should I wait the standard 6 months to be conclusive?
Thank you.

Answer provided by:

Mark H. Katz, M.D.
Regional HIV/AIDS Physician Coordinator
Kaiser Permanente of Southern California


A negative ELISA at 13 weeks is reasonably conclusive, but most references state that a small percentage, less than a fraction of one percent, can turn positive between 3 and 6 months. Thus, I think you can be quite reassured you are negative, but testing again at 6 months would be reasonable as well.


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