HIV Testing in Japan

Hi, I am a student living in Tokyo, Japan. I had an extremely high risk encounter two weeks ago. Recently I have had all the symptoms of Strep Throat (for which I tested positive with a bacteria culture) and have been treated for that. That being said, strep and HIV have pretty much the same symptoms, so my guess is that I actually have HIV. Anyways, because of this situation, I would like to get a HIV Viral Load test. I have heard that these are pretty hard to get, but do to the situation, I was hoping I could find somewhere to get it done. I know if the earlier I find out about HIV that more effective the treatment, so I don't want to wait 3 months. Anyways, I am willing to pay if that is the only option. Thanks for any help!

there has been a similar thread: http://www.japan-guide.com/forum/quereadisplay.html?0+8480

But, my question is much more specific.

Did you read the part of that thread that I've pasted below? Looks pretty specific to me. Good luck with the test.

�ETokyo Metropolitan Testing and Counseling Office in Minami-Shinjuku: The Tokyo Minami-Shinjuku Bldg., 3rd floor, 2-7-8 Yoyogi, Shibuya-ku (3-min. walk from JR Shinjuku Station)
-- Appointments: Call 3377-0811 between 3:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, or between 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday
-- Tests offered: HIV antibody screening (testing for other sexually transmitted diseases will be performed during AIDS Prevention Month). Test fee is free.
-- Test days/hours: Monday through Friday, 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday/Sunday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Even if the test you are after is different from the one offered at the place above, surely they can give you the information you are looking for.

thats true. I can ask them about finding this test. I just hope I don't have to fly back to the US to get it.

ok, look, i'm not a doctor, but your "high risk encounter" is almost 100% just your imagination running insanely wild.

let's get some things straight. HIV is EXTREMELY uncommon in Japan. Unless your encounter was in Thailand or Africa or somewhere else with high HIV rates, or your encounter was with a Thai/African girl, it's probably more likely to be hit by lightning than it is that you have contracted HIV.

I am not saying that you should not be tested - you should get tested, it's free and painless and doesn't take much time - but your imagination is running totally wild.

If you do have any STD/STI it's far more likely you've contracted any one of the basic STD's like syphillis or chlamydia or a simple infection, but even that is unlikely in my opinion.

What I'm saying is just bloody relax. You don't have HIV. Go get tested immediately anyway to see if you contracted anything else, then go get tested again in 2 months to see if you contracted HIV (I'm sure you did not).

Calm down and start practicing safe sex (or don't have sex at all)

you can get an HIV test in the most of clinic specialized in STD...if you live in Tokyo ,i know there is an international hospital,the SAINT LUKE HOSPITAL(search on google:P) ,they speak english and they can give you information.
Unfortunatly,the HIV test is not covered by the national health insurance,so prepare to spend about 10.000Y(i dunno the price,but i can guess).

@winterwoofl: how can you say that in japan HIV is extremly rare ??????
than how can you say that his risk is low?do you the person he had intercourse with??
the fact that nobody speaks about it it doesn't mean that there are few cases of HIV..i can assure you there are a lot of people with HIV in Japan!!!
then your comment 'if you had sex with thai/african girl it could be possible to get hiv' is extremly racist...

be aware of HIV all over the world.

@ the above poster, stop saying ridiculous things.

racist? don't be absurd. thai people and africas are far more likely to have HIV. it's not racism, it's a fact. quit being absurd. southeast asia and africa have unbelievably high HIV infection rates. it is obviously more likely to contract HIV if you have unprotected sex with someone from one of those countries, because it's more likely they are infected with HIV.

secondly, there is no need to pay for HIV testing in Japan, as someone already posted, there is a free HIV, chlamydia and syphilis testing center in Shinjuku between Shin Okubo and Shinjuku stations. They take a urine sample, blood sample, offer services in many languages. No need for insurance or even ID.

Lastly if you even bothered to look at the statistics, HIV *IS* rare in Japan. Even an STD clinic in Japan will tell you that. So when someone with an over-active imagination like the original poster, who is freaking themselves out about nothing, it's important to note that even if you WANTED to contract HIV in Japan, it would not be that easy to do it.

if you can read japanese this is the site to look at.

http://www.hivkensa.com/

according to this they got 124 public health centers over japan that can accommodate foreigners, not sure that means these places got someone able to speak english.

http://www.hivkensa.com/search/?mode=list&enc=%E3%81%82&name=&prefectu...

you can narrow search with other criteria like early morning hours, late night, saturday/sunday, within 5/10 minutes from the station, other STD test availability, need appointment or not, etc. if there is somebody with suitable japanese around you, get him look at this site for you.

you don't bring anything and you can do this anonymously. they probabuly ask your name and address, but not necessarily need to tell the real ones. i guess there is a number of japanese doing this anonymously. the result'll be in just a hour or so, or might have to come back days later on for it depending on each public health center. You'll want to call the public health center beforehand for details and to make sure of your need. usually HIV test is free at these places, but other STD tests could cost some again depending on each public health center, some even may not offer other STD tests. you can still go to private hospital for any other advantage.

winterwolf, while HIV is relatively rare in Japan, it certainly does exist, and I think the OP is probably the best judge of his/her own situation and whether or not there is anything to worry about. We have no idea of the circumstances, or sexual orientation of the OP, and can't say at all that it is most likely his/her "imagination running wild".

It's definitely the sensible and responsible thing to do to be tested if someone thinks they may have been exposed. Did you know that all pregnant women in Japan are tested for HIV? I somehow doubt they would do that if the risk was as low as you think it is.

i agree with winterwolf.
and even if you know for sure your partner is HIV positive, the possibility of getting infected is small.

In case of unprocted sex the risk of getting infected:

From female to male 0,0003�E,0056 or 1:3 300�E:180
From male to female 0,0006�E,0070 or 1:1 650�E:143
From male to male 0,0007�E,07 or 1:1 430�E:14

Small does not equal non-existent. It doesn't sound to me like the OP is panicking, just would like to put his/her mind at ease- that was a very calm post. If there is any doubt, why not get tested?

Well, maybe not panicking but it seems like he(or she) is very convinced that he got infected. I mean, he says that he guesses that he actually has HIV and not strep. Isn't that overreacting a little.. knowing that getting infected is really difficult? It's more likely that he just had strep.

Of course I encourage him to get tested but it's better not to start arranging a funeral yet.

then your comment 'if you had sex with thai/african girl it could be possible to get hiv' is extremly racist...
---------

the comment is not racist, but it is a fact. unfortunate fact, but still a fact.
as for hiv in japan, its relatively low. whilst its low in regards to the size of japan and in comparision to other countries, its still not none existant. i read about 5 years ago that the number of REPORTED cases was about 12000 (multiple that with the the fact that we are now in 2010, so probably more than 15000 reported cases), but japanese health workers were saying that the actual number of cases is most likely AT LEAST 5 times higher, because many do not get tested. and there is a high prevelence among younger people.

so whilst the possibility of contracting hiv in japan is lower than say in thailand, its certainly still possible and getting tested is a good thing to do, also to have peace of mind.
now, i dont think that the tests done before the usual 3 months period are free. the technology involved to detect hiv before the 3 months infection period is more expensive.
whether you will do the test in the next 2-3 weeks or 3 months after the encounter wont change much in regards to the effectivness of treatment (if you do happen to have hiv), again except than for your peace of mind.
i would be also more worried about other diseases which are also quite common and more easily spread than hiv, such as hepatitis B (if youre not vaccinated). id also get tested for hepatitis c. even tho less commonly transmitted through sex, it does happen and i personally know somebody who got it that way.
then of course also the usual stds chlamydia, gonorrea, syphilis, etc.
i would do these tests first (because they can be done now to know the results) and wait for the 3 months (its hard, but thats how it is) and do the hep C and hiv test. and of course hep b if youre not vaccinated.

(other "usual" stds are quite common in japan, so do not miss to be tested for those).
again, i wouldnt fly to the us for that, it wont change a thing.
your symptons dont mean much, its more of a panic reaction so now you will experience all sorts of symptoms in your head, because its extremly rare that hiv would cause any symptoms this early and most people dont have any symptoms at all. thats why i wouldnt rely on what you think bothers you.

try to stay calm, get tested, hopefully you dont have anything and most importantly USE A CONDOM next time! if everything goes well and youre healthy DO NOT forget the fear that you had now when you dont know if youre fine or not. it might save your life.

inka, i think you'd better look at a dictionary and learn what racism actually is - there's none in this thread. you don't seem to understand what the word means.

thai and african people (those who are living in those places or who were born there / relocated to japan) are statistically more likely to be infected with HIV.

race has nothing to do with it. it is just a fact of life. you live in one of those countries you're at far higher risk of being infected with HIV (and a number of other common STI's).

and i never said that you should not get tested, you should. but i did say you should stop worrying about having contracted HIV, because the chances that you have it are extremely small. no reason to stress out.

Your post should have been addressed to leila, not Inka.
Inka quoted leila's post to say the same thing as your latest post did.

In the US the testing algorithm is first you receive an HIV antibody test known as an ELISA. If this is positive it is confirmed with a test called a Western Blot, this is done to reduce false positive results.
Viral load, HIV genotyping and nucleic acid testing (NAT) are not part of initial diagnosis. If you are HIV positive on the tests above your doctor may use viral load testing to monitor anti-retroviral therapy. I think it is likely the same testing is done in Japan. As you know there is a window period in which the antibody test can be negative, that is why a negative test is usually followed up in 4-6 weeks with an additional ELISA test. I think it is a good idea to consult with an STD testing center in Japan and ask your questions directly to them.