I'm Rajesh and recently I had a brief encounter with a sex worker, but I used two condoms for protection. It happened on the 8th of June 2018, and about 26 days later, I went for an HIV duo 4th generation test, which came back negative with a result of 0.09. Lately, I've developed a cold, cough, and some throat pain that I think could just be due to the weather. Can I trust these test results and get back to my regular routine, or should I be concerned? I'm really anxious about this and could use some guidance.

Answered by 1 Apollo Doctors

Dr Shubham Chauhan

General Practitioner

MBBS
4+ Yrs

Consult Now

Hi Rajesh, based on your description, the HIV 4th generation test you took 26 days after exposure is highly reliable and indicates you are negative. Your symptoms are more likely due to weather changes and not related to HIV. You can continue with your regular life, but if you remain anxious, consider retesting at 6 weeks for complete peace of mind.

Dr. Shubham Suggests...

Consult a Infectious Disease specialist

Find a Infectious Disease specialist

Answered 04/07/2025

More Infectious Disease Health Queries

View all

What are the 10 communicable diseases?

Tuberculosis, Influenza, Chicken pox, Hepatitis, Mumps, Meningitis, Typhoid, Malaria, Dengue, Measles

Answered by 1 Apollo Doctors

I'm just wondering about my recent HIV test results. Me and my boyfriend have been together and sexually active for over a year, and he's HIV negative. I got tested today and the result was non-reactive but it showed an observed value of 0.16. What does that 0.16 mean exactly? If I were to take the test again, is there a chance that this number could go up? I'm just a bit curious and concerned about what it all means.

Visit your Physician for evaluation and appropriate management

Answered by 1 Apollo Doctors

I'm trying to understand the differences between the typhoid IgG IgM test and the Widal test. Can one of these tests detect typhoid better than the other? I'm not sure which test is more reliable or if there's any specific situation where one might be preferred. Could you explain this to me?

The Typhoid IgGIgM test is a serological test that detects the presence of IgM and IgG antibodies against Salmonella Typhi in the blood, indicating acute or past typhoid infection, respectively; this test is more sensitive and specific than the traditional Widal test, which detects agglutinating antibodies, and can be used as a replacement or complementary test, especially in the early stages of infection or in immunocompromised patients; both tests can detect typhoid, but the Typhoid IgGIgM test is preferred due to its higher accuracy and ability to distinguish between acute and past infections.

Answered by 1 Apollo Doctors