Many people who have HIV don’t even know it because they don’t show any symptoms for years. Even though you don’t show any symptoms, you can still pass on the virus to someone else. Testing for HIV is the only way to know whether you have been infected or not infected.

There is a window period, where it takes 3 months for HIV antibodies to show up on an HIV test. The HIV antibody testing may be negative even though a person is infected. Healthcare workers will recommend retesting after three month window period to ensure the test is accurate.