Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2006. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.I recently had my 5 year old granddaughter tested for HIV because I received a letter from her mother, who is in jail, that she tested positive for HIV. I wanted to make sure granddaughter is o.k., she appears to be perfectly healthy.
The doctor told me the test did not come back negative. He said slightly positive. He is not familiar with HIV and so I went to the health department. I have had another test done and I am waiting for the results. Would some symptoms have showed up by now? She is 5 years old. I am hoping for a negative test.
Dear Grandmother,
I'm sure you're worried about your granddaughter.In general, babies born to an HIV positive mother will show positive tests indicating infection at three to four months. It would be very ususual for a child to get to five years old with no health problems, without treatment for HIV, if infected.
I have no idea what a "weakly positive test" might mean. I would certainly get a re-test. The usual test for HIV is called the ELISA/Western blot.
If there is more confusion, I would get a PCR test, that measures virus, if present.
My guess is that the child's mother got HIV after the birth of your granddaughter, if she has had a positive test result, herself.
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