[Question #8992] Covid Drug and HIV Window Period
37 months ago
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1) I have kissed while having bleeding gums with an unknown status recipient whom I did not know whether her gums are also bleeding. I did a 4th generation test CMIA 27 afters the exposure and it came back negative. Assuming that the reciepent gums are also bleeding, do i need repeat another HIV test at 6 weeks?
3) At day 28 I have diarrhea and night sweats. Could this be an ARS symptom? No fever No sorethroat No rash
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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
37 months ago
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Greetings. Welcome to the forum. Thanks for your confidence in our services and your succinct questions. Directly to them:
1) Kissing doesn't transmit HIV. While in theory gum inflammation or other oral bleeding might elevate the risk if exposed to HIV, it probably makes no difference in reality. If you think about it, there must have been billions of open mouth (sexual) kissing episodes between HIV infected and uninfected persons, and still no known cases attributed to kissing. So any effect of your (or your kissing partner's) gum inflammation has to be near zero. Oral exposure to HIV infected blood is very low risk in general. So I would not have recommended HIV testing at all. But having started down that road, you should have another AgAb (4th generation) HIV test at 6 weeks. These tests detect ~98-99% of infections at 4 weeks, but need 6 weeks for 100% conclusive results.
2) To my knowledge, and based on a quick search of the medical literature, favipiravir is not active against HIV. That it is active against some RNA viruses doesn't necessarily indicate activity against all of them, including HIV. (HIV is not only an RNA virus, it is also a retrovirus -- which itself requires special and unique drugs.) Favipiravir should have no effect on HIV or testing for it.
3) Your negative blood test at 27 days doesn't quite prove you don't have HIV, but it DOES prove HIV is not the cause of your symptoms. It is not possible to have ARS symptoms with a negative AgAb test. And in any case, diarrhea plus night sweats doesn't suggest ARS.
I hope these comments are helpful. Let me know if anything isn't clear.
HHH, MD
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37 months ago
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Thank you for the prompt reply doctor. I have one last question
Strictly from a medical perspective, do I need another test at 6 weeks given nature of risk and the negative AgAb test at 27 days (which i know it does not indicate 100% confidence but close to it) as you mentioned you would not have recommended testing in the first place.
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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
37 months ago
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From a medical or risk perspective, you definitely do not need another test. Many people who are worried about an exposure keep worrying about it, regardless of how low the risk was at the time. But if you're now cool about it, there is no need. It's up to you.---
37 months ago
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Thank you doctor. Have a blessed day
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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
37 months ago
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Thanks for the thanks. That's why we're here. Take care and stay safe.---