The presence of virus antibodies to the HIV can be detected by ELISA or western blot techniques.
A protocol for diagnosis is as follows:
It should be noted that antibodies to HIV may not appear until up to as long as 6 months after infection with HIV; where there is doubt, retest at 3 and 6 months.
It is very important to counsel any patient before the HIV antibody test so that they understand the implications of a positive result.
The patient should be encouraged to think about how they might react to the news.
The implications for life insurance and mortgage applications should be discussed.
Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.