Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date. I recently had unprotected sex with someone who was in the military. I'm extremely paranoid about this stuff and am freaking out that I could have HIV or something. He said that the military tests for HIV all the time and he said he's fine. Do you know if they really do test a lot?
Mark H. Katz, M.D.
Regional HIV/AIDS Physician Coordinator
Kaiser Permanente of Southern California
Thanks for your question; let me answer it another way from the way you pose it--given that I do not know how often they test in the military, after the initial exam. If someone were negative at the time of their entry into service, or even one month before your encounter with them, they still could be HIV-positive if they were exposed after that time. (And, of course, they may not know it, either.) The recommended way to make it through this epidemic is to take care of your SELF, rather than be concerned with others. And this involves the two major steps of educating yourself so that you "play" very low-risk in sexual or drug situations, and that you take the test yourself when you are concerned about a "slip." This is the only way you can really be assured.
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