Hello and welcome to XXXXXXX

Thank you for writing to us.

I have gone through your query, and shall try my best to address all your concerns one-by-one. If there is anything I have overlooked, feel free to write back to me asking for more information. I would be more than happy to help you.

Now, first coming to your presentation of a non-itchy rash consisting of red spots, some raised and others not. It is a little difficult to comment on the specific cause as: first of all, we would have to physically examine the rash; and next, a laboratory analysis of the rash would be required. Without this, any doctor will only be able to put forward a few possibilities like:
-Acne
-Folliculitis
-Seborrheic dermatitis
-Shingles (herpes zoster)
-Telangiectasia
-Insect bites
-Viral exanthem
-Fungal infections
-Sexually transmitted diseases (eg. gonorrhea-will have fever, rash, sore throat, weakness; HIV- dry cough, difficulty breathing; syphilis - sores in mouth or throat; secondary fungal infections from HIV; etc.)
and a few others.

For a more concrete diagnosis, you will have to visit a doctor, without which it is difficult to comment on the disease or its cause.

Now coming to your fear of having HIV. At 7 weeks after exposure to a possibly HIV-infected individual, the best test to get conducted would be a HIV DUO test. This test combines an antibody test for both HIV-1 and HIV-2 strains with an antigen test for p24 antigen. This test is considered to be 99.9 % accurate from 30-90 days post-exposure. You could request for this particular test.

It is a good thing you have undergone an STD panel, this will greatly contribute. Do let me know the results once you receive them. You also need to know that there is no specific pattern of appearance of symptoms. Some individuals can experience their symptoms very early, and some very late. In my opinion, at this stage it is best to get tested at the earliest (if you haven;t already). Do not worry, and hope for the best.

I am always available to be of assistance, if anything. Do write back to me for any further clarifications. Wishing and hoping for the best.

Be safe,
God bless.

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Hello once again.

Thank you for writing in to me. I am glad you liked my previous response.

Normally, majority of patients are still asymptomatic (do not present with any physical symptoms) when the tests can detect or rule out HIV. Which is why the scientific world could not rely on the physical presentation and had to develop tests which would detect the virus much earlier. So, whether or not you had the rash, a test conducted at 6 weeks post-exposure will surely be accurate.

No, a rash is not the only sign of the condition. Let me explain the sequence of symptoms.
-Up until 2 weeks after exposure, majority of patients do not have any symptoms, and can just complain of not feeling their best
-From 2-4 weeks after exposure, patients experience a flu, which they can refer to as the worst flu they have ever experienced. This can also last up to 3 months. Symptoms are: fever, sore throat, ulcers in the mouth, muscle cramps, chills, rash, night sweats, weakness, etc.
-After this comes the latent phase, during which individuals will not experience any symptoms up to almost 10 years

Now coming to the last part of your query. Yes, all tests that are conducted after 3-4 weeks of exposure can give accurate results. Which is why I consider your test to be 99.9 % accurate.

I hope this information was what you were looking for. Do write back to me for any further clarifications, I would be happy to help you.

Best wishes.

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