you’re still negative?
- “If a guy had HIV, he’d tell me”
- “He didn’t mention HIV. So no need for condoms.”
- “I tested negative in the past, so must still be OK”
- “If I had HIV I’d know. I’d feel ‘different’.”
- “If I’ve got HIV I’d rather not know.”
- “I’ll wait until I’m ill before I test.”
- “I sometimes worry about getting HIV”
- “I got ill a few weeks after unsafe sex. Was it serious?”
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“I tested negative in the past, so must still be OK”
An old negative result is worth little if you’ve had unprotected anal sex since. Lots of us have tested negative in the past but got HIV since our last test without realising. Gay men are recommended to test at least once a year — and more often if they’ve had unprotected anal sex.
Between 8,000 and 10,000 gay men in the UK have HIV without knowing. Most think they’re still HIV negative. 1 in 4 gay men with HIV don’t realise they have it.
In some big city gay scenes nearly half of men with HIV may not know they have it.**source: Health Protection Agency, 2008 and J Dodds A tale of three cities, 2007.
So lots of us have HIV without realising. Now let’s bust some myths!