A safe estimate from various studies is that the time interval between actual infection and the first positive antibody test is one to three months. The difficulty in being more definitive is pinpointing exactly when a person became infected. The longest documented time from infection to a positive EIA was eight months in a nurse who was exposed in a needle-stick accident.

A person can have TB infection for years without any signs of disease. But if that person's immune system gets weak, the infection can quickly turn into TB disease. Also, if a person who has a weak immune system spends time with someone with infectious TB, he or she may become infected with TB bacteria and quickly develop TB disease. Because HIV infection weakens the immune system, people with TB infection and HIV infection are at very high risk of developing TB disease. See similar questions...

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It takes the immune system 3-6 months to produce sufficient antibody for an HIV positive test result after infection with HIV. This is called the "window period," when a test result could be negative, but the person is actually infected. See similar questions...

Up to 6 months. If there has been NO risk for 6 months prior to the test, the results are 99.9% accurate. People with HIV may be MOST infectious to others during this first six months. See similar questions...

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus, the AIDS virus) helps TB germs make you sick by attacking the germ fighters in your body. If you are infected with HIV and with TB germs, you have a very big chance of getting TB disease. The TB germs are much more likely to attack your lungs and other parts of the body. You can be cured, but it takes longer to cure someone with TB disease who also has HIV infection. If you think you might have HIV infection, talk to your doctor about getting an HIV test. See similar questions...

There is no need for anyone at school to know the HIV status of a student or employee. What everyone does need to understand is that the blood of any student or employee could potentially be infected with a bloodborne pathogen such as HIV or Hepatitis B, and that under normal conditions in regular educational programs, use of "Universal Precautions" is sufficient to protect against transmission of bloodborne diseases. See similar questions...

NO! There are many vaccines now in clinical study, however at this time, none have been tested on humans and it may be years before a viable vaccine is possible. See similar questions...

About half of people with HIV develop AIDS within 10 years, but the time between infection and onset of AIDS can vary greatly. The severity of the HIV-related illness or illnesses differs from person to person and is dependent on many factors, including overall health status. Today there are promising new medical treatments that can postpone many of the illnesses associated with AIDS. See similar questions...

It is recommended that an individual waits 3-6 months after their possible hepatitis C exposure before getting tested. This is referred to as the "window period". See similar questions...

The length of time following infection for an individual to develop detectable antibodies to HIV is known as the 'Window Period'. According to the CDC, most persons infected with HIV develop antibodies against the virus within three months after the infection. See similar questions...

The only weapon we have against HIV at this time is responsible behavior based on fact. HIV is passed through blood, semen, vaginal fluids, and infants can be infected from breast milk if the mother has HIV. Cleaning IV drug needles with bleach and thoroughly rinsing with fresh water and using latex condoms with a water based lubricant greatly reduces the risk of HIV infection. See similar questions...

The best way to reduce risk is to always use a latex condom correctly for all sexual intercourse. If you are using injectable drugs, always use a sterile needle and never use somebody else's equipment. See similar questions...

The only 100% way to prevent HIV infection is to be abstinent -- from sex (vaginal, anal, oral) and from use of injection needles (drugs, tattoos, body piercing). You cannot tell by looking at someone -- or even asking someone -- if they are infected. Most people infected with HIV are asymptotic -- feel fine, look great! Therefore, there are a lot of people who are HIV positive (and don't even know it) who are having sex with a lot of people who don't know if they are even infected. See similar questions...

No. This is not possible as all materials used for collecting blood are sterile. In fact, persons who are healthy should come forward for voluntary blood donation. See similar questions...

If you are going for procedures such as tattooing, ear piercing, or acupuncture, verify that the equipment to be used on you is sterile. Avoid alcohol and drugs as they affect your judgement, and can induce you to take risks you would not otherwise take, like having unsafe sex, sharing needles, or driving rashly. See similar questions...

Each disease speeds up the progress of the other, and TB considerably shortens the survival time of people living with HIV/AIDS. TB kills up to half of all AIDS patients worldwide. People who are co-infected with HIV and TB are up to 50 times as likely to develop active TB in a given year as people who are HIV-negative. HIV infection is the greatest risk factor for the progression of latent TB into active TB, and TB bacteria can accelerate the progress of HIV. See similar questions...