The 97% at 3 months is IMO a bit out of date, or as you said "covering their ***". If you sift through the Dr's forums here you'll find they say higher % than that in less time than 3 months. It's all who you choose to believe. In the end... Like Thanx said, there's no 100% with anything. But it's as close as you'll get at 3 months.
The CDC's numbers are awfully conservative, and not all experts will agree with them.
Sorry100907, I can't give you the insight you're looking for, however remember in medicine, nothing is 100%. I encourage you to call the CDC hotline for clarification since anything I say would simply be my perspective of what I read, and may or may not be entirely accurate. It's free, and 24 hours a day to call 'em.
Take care.
Ok.. Thanks so where do we get the conclusive at three months from? I am sure they are, CDC, covering there ***, but 97% doesn't sound conclusive to me. Not arguing just want some insight.
It was more in my face than I thought it was -same basic thing but this has a bit more detail at the beginning
http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/testing/resources/qa/be_tested.htm#wait
Most HIV tests are antibody tests that measure the antibodies your body makes against HIV. It can take some time for the immune system to produce enough antibodies for the antibody test to detect, and this time period can vary from person to person. This time period is commonly referred to as the “window period.” Most people will develop detectable antibodies within 2 to 8 weeks (the average is 25 days). Even so, there is a chance that some individuals will take longer to develop detectable antibodies. Therefore, if the initial negative HIV test was conducted within the first 3 months after possible exposure, repeat testing should be considered >3 months after the exposure occurred to account for the possibility of a false-negative result. Ninety-seven percent of persons will develop antibodies in the first 3 months following the time of their infection. In very rare cases, it can take up to 6 months to develop antibodies to HIV.
Another type of test is an RNA test, which detects the HIV virus directly. The time between HIV infection and RNA detection is 9–11 days. These tests, which are more costly and used less often than antibody tests, are used in some parts of the United States.
For information on HIV testing, you can talk to your health care provider or you can find the location of the HIV testing site nearest to you by visiting the National HIV Testing Resources Web site at http://www.hivtest.org or call CDC-INFO 24 Hours/Day at 1-800-CDC-INFO (232-4636), 1-888-232-6348 (TTY), in English, en Español. Both of these resources are confidential.
If you would like more information or have personal concerns, call CDC-INFO 24 Hours/Day at 1-800-CDC-INFO (232-4636), 1-888-232-6348 (TTY), in English, en Español.
These were in 2001, of course some of it was updated in 2006, but here is what I could find for you.
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5019a1.htm
Single Possible or Known Exposure
Most infected persons will develop detectable HIV antibody within 3 months of exposure (126). If the initial negative HIV test was conducted within the first 3 months after exposure, repeat testing should be considered >3 months after the exposure occurred to account for the possibility of a false-negative result. If the follow-up test is nonreactive, the client is likely not HIV-infected. However, if the client was exposed to a known HIV-infected person or if provider or client concern remains, a second repeat test might be considered >6 months from the exposure. Rare cases of seroconversion 6--12 months after known exposure have been reported (134). Extended follow-up testing beyond 6 months after exposure to account for possible delayed seroconversion is not generally recommended and should be based on clinical judgment and individual clients needs (54).
Did Teak, but your the expert post the page.
How about trying the CDC website. That would be a good start for you.