You no too sure how long e don be? If any chance dey say e neva reach 72 hours, go emergency department (A&E) for hospital or sexual health clinic now and ask about PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis: HIV medicine wey you go take afta exposure to stop di virus). Make health worker help you work out di timing.
To miss di window for PEP no mean say you get HIV. For most one-time exposure (wen HIV fit don enter your body), di chance of HIV dey low from di start. Wetin matter now na to test for di correct time, so you go get clear answer.
Wetin PEP no fit do now
PEP dey work by stopping HIV before e settle and become infection wey go last. Di longer you wait, di less e fit do. Di calculator assume say PEP dey reduce di risk by about 90% if you start am within 24 hours, but only by about 70% if you start am between 48 and 72 hours. CDC guidelines tok say di evidence no reach to recommend make person start PEP afta 72 hours.
Instead, CDC recommend say pipo wey come afta 72 hours suppose do HIV test, get advice about PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis: HIV medicine wey you dey take before any exposure to protect yourself), and get plan for follow-up test.
Your risk fit dey lower pass wetin you dey fear
Even wit partner wey get HIV and no dey take treatment, one act of receptive vaginal sex (di person wey dem enter) get estimated 0.08% (around 1 out of 1,200) chance of HIV, and receptive anal sex (sex for nyash/anus) na 1.4% (around 1 out of 72). Wit partner wey you no sabi im status, di numbers dey usually lower well well. For United States, for example, one act of receptive vaginal sex wit man wey you no sabi im status get estimated 0.00014% (around 1 out of 730,000).
Dis na estimate, no be diagnosis. Na only test fit tell you for sure.
Your test plan
No test fit see HIV immediately afta exposure. Each type get window period, wey be di time between infection and wen di test fit catch am.
| Test | E fit see HIV from | Negative result don final from |
|---|---|---|
| Nucleic acid test (NAT / RNA) | Day 10 | Day 33 |
| Antigen/antibody lab test (4th gen, blood wey dem draw from vein) | Day 18 | Day 45 |
| Rapid antigen/antibody test (wey dem prick finger) | Day 18 | Day 90 |
| Antibody test (most rapid tests and self-tests for house) | Day 23 | Day 90 |
Dis na simple plan:
- Now. HIV test wey you do now go show weda you don get HIV before dis exposure. E no fit rule out infection from di last few days.
- From 45 days (about six and half weeks). Lab antigen/antibody test (blood wey dem draw from vein) don be final from 45 days afta di exposure.
- If you use rapid test or test for house. Rapid antigen/antibody test (wey dem prick finger) or antibody test, wey include most rapid test and self-test for house, go only be final at 90 days. Either you test again dat time, or you do lab test.
- You want answer early? NAT (nucleic acid test, wey dey look for di virus itself) fit see HIV from about 10 days, and e don be final from 33 days. Ask your clinic weda dem get am.
Negative result wey you get inside di window fit make your mind rest small, but test again afta di window to make sure. More detail dey for HIV window period and how test correct week by week.
Symptoms wey you suppose watch
Some pipo dey get sickness wey be like flu 2 to 4 weeks afta dem get HIV: fever, rash, sore throat, swollen glands or mouth ulcer. Plenti pipo no dey get any symptoms at all. Symptoms no fit tell you weda you get HIV, becos cold and oda viruses dey look di same.
If you get dis symptoms for di weeks afta exposure, CDC advise make you do HIV test. Tell di clinic wen di exposure happen so dem fit choose di correct test. See timeline of HIV symptoms.
As you dey wait
- Protect your partners. Until you get final result, condom dey reduce di risk to pass HIV give dem by about 80%.
- Check for oda STIs (sexually transmitted infection, wey be infection wey dey pass through sex). Dem fit pass at di same time, and dem fit treat plenti of dem. See HIV and STIs.
- Take care of yourself. To wait for result dey hard. If worry dey take over your mind, read how to handle HIV anxiety.
PrEP for future
If dis tin fit happen again, PrEP fit protect you before exposure. If you take am di way dem prescribe am, e dey reduce di risk of HIV by about 99% for anal sex and about 90% for vaginal sex. Options include tablet wey you dey take every day and injection wey dey last long. You go need negative HIV test before you start, so di test plan wey dey up dey fit well. Read HIV risk wen you dey take PrEP.
Wetin to do now
- Check di timing again. If e fit still dey under 72 hours, go for PEP now.
- Do baseline HIV test (di first test wey dem go use compare later) and book lab antigen/antibody test for 45 days afta di exposure.
- Act on symptoms. Fever, rash or sore throat for di next few weeks mean say time don reach to ask for test.
- Ask about PrEP if you fit get exposure again.