The major concern with HIV testing that is inaccurate is when people test too early.
In order for an HIV test to be accurate, there have to be enough antibodies present for the test to pick up. If a person tests too soon after infection, the body may not have had time to develop antibodies which can be measured. In these cases, a test will return a negative result, when in fact the person is HIV positive.
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Not exactly. "HIV positive" means that someone's test for HIV antibodies came back positive, i.e. that the antibodies are present and that the person has at least been exposed to, and is almost certainly infected with, the virus. AIDS, however, is a syndrome, or condition. There isn't a specific test for it, so the terms "positive" and "negative" have no real meaning. AIDS means that not only is the person infected, but the infection has progressed to the point that they are showing symptoms. You can be "HIV positive" (the test showed antibodies) or "HIV negative" (the test did not show antibodies), but not "AIDS positive" or "AIDS negative". Everyone with AIDS is (or should be, since HIV is the virus that causes AIDS) "HIV positive", but it's possible to be "HIV positive" for a considerable length of time before eventually developing AIDS.
* It means that you do not have HIV.
The vector is body fluid exchangeCorrection:Bodily fluids are not technically vectors. A vector is a living organism, usually a mosquito or tick, that is capable of transmissing disease. To date, no vectors have been identified as causing HIV infection.
Depending on quantity, temperature, and humidity, from about 120 minutes to possibly several days.
there was a point of time in the early 80's when there was a trend of tattooing a + or - on yourself as an indication of if you were HIV + or HIV-. if some one who was negative became positive they sould just change the negative to a positive of get a positive tattooed next to it. however it could symbolize nothing and just look neat, or it could symolize something to the person who has it.