Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2007. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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New Vision (Kampala) - October 21, 2007
Harriet Birungi
Dr Gerald Sebulime of HIV Reference Laboratory, says with the modified and improved method of detecting HIV-anti-bodies after exposure, you can now know your sero status after two weeks.
The window period has been shortened from three months. He explains that when one is exposed to any infection, the body produces antibodies that are meant to protect it against the infection.
So when one gets HIV, the body produces the antibodies to fight the virus.
"It is these antibodies that are detected, and with the improved method of testing, you are able to know your status at two weeks," Sebulime says.
He adds that the antibodies produced depend on the individual's immune system. The quantity of antibodies produced will vary from one person to the other depending on their immunol ability to produce infection suppressants.
None-the-less, even the fewest antibodies are detected as long as they appear in the body.
And with the improved method of HIV testing, the results come as accurate as those of that one who tested three months after exposure, just that the window period is shorter.
He also advises that every person should know their sero status so that they can live confidently and protect themselves. And in case of doubt, people should go for confirmatory tests which detect the amount of the virus in the body and also know how many copies of the virus are in the body.
Nassir Musoke, a training officer at the AIDS Information Centre, says a shorter window period should not be taken to mean the same to all. Different people have different window periods.
"To some people it will be two weeks and others more. So it varies from person to person," says Musoke.
Unless a PCR test (one that detects the virus), is done on some people, it may require more than two weeks to detect HIV infection. To some, the antibody test may show presence of the virus at four weeks which is more than the two weeks.
"That is why we recommend testing three months after exposure as it is then that one is certain of the results," says Musoke.
However, he adds that when one has been exposed, tested and found negative, it is recommended that they go back after one month, so that a confirmatory test is done.
This is because a month after gives the body's immune system enough time to produce sufficient antibodies.
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