The right time to check for HIV

If I sleep with a woman with HIV, how soon can I check for HIV? Enock

Dear Enock,
Anybody who has sex with a person who is HIV positive or whose HIV status is unknown, is advised to see a doctor for not only advice but also for a prescription of ARVs which prevent HIV infection (post exposure Prophylaxis (PEP). For PEP to be effective, it should be instituted within 72 hours from exposure before the germ takes root. Anyhow even if one has taken PEP he/she should still do tests to find out whether he/she got infected or not.
People are always anxious to know whether they are infected or not and thus the reason one may want the earliest HIV testing after exposure. Finding out quickly is useful for taking drugs early to help one live a normal life as well as helping prevent infecting other people. Before most tests show infection, the germ will multiply very fast unchecked by the body’s defences with a likelihood of more easily infecting others.
When ultimately the body mounts strong defenses by producing specific substances called HIV antibodies, the germ stops multiplying fast and then is less likely to cause immediate disease or easily lead to transmission. This time before tests show called the window period is highly infectious since there are many germs in blood and other body fluids.
Unfortunately, an infected person cannot rely on the earliest symptoms of HIV infection for diagnosis since the symptoms may be confused with many other viral infections, especially a common cold (Flu).The symptoms may include skin rash, diarrhoea, fever, joint pains or swollen lymph nodes. And in many, they may be absent or occur much later when blood tests have already indicted infection.
The only way to detect HIV infection is through blood tests which unfortunately may also be negative in some people yet they are infected. This is because the time infection shows varies in different people.
The earliest blood tests may show presence of the virus known as viral load (usually from one to six weeks after exposure) or detection of a virus protein P24 (from one to eight weeks after exposure) but unfortunately both tests are not accurate for diagnosing early HIV if the results are negative. The tests may be negative yet one is infected.
The easily done and cheaper tests in Uganda look for substances (antibodies) the body produces to kill HIV germs. However, these take longer to rise significantly to be found out by our ordinary tests. These tests which are reported as HIV positive or negative may be detected as early as two weeks but if negative should be repeated after three months.