A person who has been infected with the HIV virus may not be aware of it because there are no symptoms upon entry of the virus into the body. Thus, it is important for those who are sexually active and those who utilize hypodermic needles to get tested for HIV. It is important to note that the tests for HIV do not actually look for the virus but instead try to detect if there are any HIV antibodies, which are created by the body’s immune system in its effort to combat the infection. Thus, the presence of HIV antibodies means a person is HIV positive while their absence means that a person is HIV negative.

However, the body may need three weeks to three months before it is able to generate enough HIV antibodies to be noticeable in a test. Sometimes, it may even require six months before sufficient antibodies can be found to indicate the presence of HIV. Thus, it is advisable to take the test at least three months after the possible exposure. This period between the time of possible exposure and the time when the antibodies can be detected is called the HIV window period. During this time, a person is still regarded as being capable of transmitting the disease even if initial tests turned out to be negative.

There are four types of HIV tests, and they are the conventional blood tests, rapid tests, oral tests and home tests. The blood test may require one to two weeks before the results are available. And if this turns out to be positive, a different test is conducted to eliminate the potential for a false positive result. The rapid test requires only 20 minutes before the results can be obtained but once again, confirmatory tests must be done if a positive result is obtained. Meanwhile, oral testing is now possible where samples of oral fluids, such as saliva, are taken instead of blood. A Western blot is needed to confirm a positive result.