[Question #2992] HIV risk calculation

41 months ago

Dear,

What is the percentage risk that I have HIV?

Exposure:

Male 37 years, 5 times vaginal sex, all with a condom with different prostitutes in Thailand (Low income country). From a low end (short time) gogo bar. Their status is unknown.

Condom used from start to end (Finished myself with mastrubation) . Condom did not break or slipped off. I did loose my erection but condom was still on but perhaps not all the way to the base of my shaft, but definetely top fully covered.. In this last instance also a lick on my penis including top, without a condom. Penis did not go into her mouth. Also mastrubated myself and prostitutes with same hand in once case.

Symptons:

2-3 weeks after exposure, flew like symptons, which was a bacterial infection according the doctor. This lasted about 1-2 weeks.

Got antibotics and got a yeast infections afterwards. Yeast infection was confirmed by swap test by Doctor.

HIV Tests done so far

HIV gen 3 test (IGM/ IGG antibody only) at 2.5, 3.5 weeks, 6 weeks and 79 days from last exposure. (The other exposures were between 80 and 85 days . All results are negative and done by blood from vein / doctor laboratoreum in the United states. (believe COP in Atlanta). I do not have, and never had, any other STD's according to tests performed at the same time, including genital herpes.

Many Thanks,

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

41 months ago

Welcome to the forum. Thanks for your question and your confidence in our services.

You needn't worry: for sure you do not have HIV, assuming no more recent exposures than the ones described above. The current standard HIV tests, including the ones you had, are among the most accurate diagnostic tests ever developed, for any medical condition. When done sufficiently long after the last possible exposure, the results are 100% reliable. Your test results were conclusive at 6 weeks -- the 79 day test was really not necessary, but it confirmed that you don't have HIV.

Because the tests are so good, the results always overrule exposure and symptoms. Your exposures were low risk (condom protected, or with little or no risk), but even if high risk, the test results prove you weren't infected. Same for your symptoms: even if they had been typical for ARS (acute retroviral syndrome, i.e. an initial HIV infection), the tests show that something else was the cause.

So all is well and no further testing is necessary.

I hope these comments have been helpful. Let me know if anything isn't clear.

HHH, MD

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41 months ago

Dear H. Hunter Handsfield,

First of all thank you for your reply. You have no idea how much your answer means for me. You are pretty famous in this field :).

It is extremely helpful to reduce my anxiety, as I can just read the answer if I fall back into anxiety.

Was typing a lot of anxiety follow up questions, but removed them. Will not help.

Many Thanks

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

41 months ago

Thanks for your kind words about our services. And thanks too for holding off your anxiety-based questions. While we don't entirely discourage such questions, our experience is that most people can come to their own common sense conclusions. In this case, note my comments above about test performance overruling symptoms and exposure history: if that's all you take home from this discussion, all by itself it probably covers most "what if" questions that may come to mind. With the current antigen-antibody tests, there are no exceptions as long as testing has been done long enough (usually 4 and always 4 weeks) after exposure.

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