HIV+ testing in Chiang Mai

[lifeafterwork]

New to the area, but have some old friends here. One recently had a scare, and I'm wanting him to get tested.

Tons of places in Bangkok. Anonymous places. Free places. Places where you can get your results in an hour. Places that can detect it early and others where you are suppose to wait 3 months.

What does the situation look like here in Chiang Mai? (Skimmed through some old forums, but all the info seemed out of date as most of the websites referred to were no longer working)

Where is the best place to go to get tested for various STDs if the potential exposure happened within the last month?

Thanks in advance.

[theblether]

Why is it always a friend

[NCC1701A]

it can take up to six months for HIV to show on a test. If you or a friend think they have been exposed to HIV, please do not have sex until Feb. 2014.

[masuk]

Tests here are not all the usual ones. Certainly HIV is on the menu, Chlamydia is very common in Thailand but it's not routinely tested and can only be tested in BKK. The test is about $100.00.

[soblue2001]

I had to get tested for a whole host of things back in March - a pretty extensive list. Hiv was included in the test. I had to sign a consent form prior to testing.

I used the Loi Kroh Clinic, Loi Kroh Rd oviously (ironically?).

Anyway, I got samples taken one day, and the results the next day.

From memory it was about 1,100 baht, but I had a lot done. A simple HIV only will be a lot less.

As previous poster said after one month is only about 97% ish, after 3 months is about 99% ish. To be sure you need to wait longer.

LK Clinic is on RHS, just after the Police Box on the LHS. It's a busy, but well run, efficient operation.

Edited September 8, 2013 by soblue2001

[chiang mai]

Try McCormick Hospital, East of the river over the Ping Bridge on the right hand side, blood tests there are inexpensive and reliable, your friend should not be embaressed to ask for the test, the staff think nothing of it and are well used to it all.

[elektrified]

HIV tests are about 200-300 THB in C.M. clinics. You can even walk into one of many laboratories here and just ask for the test. No need to see a doctor. Still 200-300 THB.

I agree. It's always "new in town" and "a friend".

[lifeafterwork]

Sorry guys, but this situation actually is a new in town and friend one. Also, being an anonymous username and online forum, not sure why one would feel the need to create a story.

Thanks for the quick responses.
A few follow up questions:
Whats the best time to go to the Loi Kroh Clinic? How long of a wait?

McCormick and the other clinics mentioned that do blood tests, do the test check for other STD's or only HIV?

[chiang mai]

Sorry guys, but this situation actually is a new in town and friend one. Also, being an anonymous username and online forum, not sure why one would feel the need to create a story.

Thanks for the quick responses.

A few follow up questions:

Whats the best time to go to the Loi Kroh Clinic? How long of a wait?

McCormick and the other clinics mentioned that do blood tests, do the test check for other STD's or only HIV?

You have to specifiy what tests you want to be tested for, McCormick Hospital is capable of performing any or all of them, may I suggest you test for HIV and STD's, perhaps Sheryl (Moderator) can add to this?

Be aware that many of the clinics around town use the blood testing facilities of the larger hospitals (some tests are however sent to Bangkok but increasingly very few), it may therefore save you money if you were to go to a hospital in the first place.

[dave2]

re

Whats the best time to go to the Loi Kroh Clinic

here ya go !

tonight between 4 30 and 8 30

dave2

[elektrified]

I can answer the question about the Loy Kroh clinic. They open in the morning and then they close in the middle of the day for a few hours. They re-open in the evenings. If you are in a hurry, this is not the place to go. The Doctor has been in practice for many years and has many devoted patients who queue up. The wait can be very long at times.

McCormick is quick. The only time the queue can get very long is in the middle of the night.

[chiang mai]

I can answer the question about the Loy Kroh clinic. They open in the morning and then they close in the middle of the day for a few hours. They re-open in the evenings. If you are in a hurry, this is not the place to go. The Doctor has been in practice for many years and has many devoted patients who queue up. The wait can be very long at times.

McCormick is quick. The only time the queue can get very long is in the middle of the night.

Good to know, presumably from casualty cases?

[Thighlander]

Go donate blood at Chiang Mai Red Cross and HIV/Hep C testing is free.

[scd]

There's' a Red Cross down near Warrarot Market / The American Embassy. They test for 3 or 4 STD's and it's a couple of hundred baht with results returned in a few days, or you can pay a bit extra and get the result in a few hours.

Also Rajajev Hospital near the Holiday Inn does a complete STD test for around the 1,000 Baht mark.

[NCC1701A]

Remember... YOU HAVE TO WAIT 3 TO 6 MONTHS to take the test. If you had unprotected sex yesterday and were exposed to HIV and took the test today, it would come back negative. So go get the test now, and again in three months and to be totally sure again in six months. And please don't have sex with any anyone (bar girls, whatever) while you are possibly HIV positive.

We had a thread like this about a month ago, can you describe the type of sex you (whoever) were having? It is important as some types of sex lend themselves to HIV transmission more than others.

[scotinsiam]

Remember... YOU HAVE TO WAIT 3 TO 6 MONTHS to take the test. If you had unprotected sex yesterday and were exposed to HIV and took the test today, it would come back negative. So go get the test now, and again in three months and to be totally sure again in six months. And please don't have sex with any anyone (bar girls, whatever) while you are possibly HIV positive.

We had a thread like this about a month ago, can you describe the type of sex you (whoever) were having? It is important as some types of sex lend themselves to HIV transmission more than others.

It is not the poster who has may have aids HIV it is his "Friend"

[Thighlander]

I wonder if it is the same guy, who has been going to Nimman for five years and had never seen a ladyboy there.

[dundas]

My memory of a friend being tested at CM hospitals (RAM, McCormick and one other I can't recall) is that they wanted to see his passport. We had to go home and get it the first time. The results for HIV were always available in an hour or two .

[rookball]

Remember... YOU HAVE TO WAIT 3 TO 6 MONTHS to take the test. If you had unprotected sex yesterday and were exposed to HIV and took the test today, it would come back negative. So go get the test now, and again in three months and to be totally sure again in six months. And please don't have sex with any anyone (bar girls, whatever) while you are possibly HIV positive.

We had a thread like this about a month ago, can you describe the type of sex you (whoever) were having? It is important as some types of sex lend themselves to HIV transmission more than others.

3 to 6 months are for older basis on antibodies. the 2nd and 3rd gen of antibodies test have a shorter window period, 98% in 30 days. however, the present 4th gen antibodies + antigens have a window period starting from 2 weeks. and the window period after 2 weeks are meant for false positive, not false negative. antigens test from 2 weeks will give false positive but never false negative, so one is safe after a negative result after a window period of 2 weeks but one might not be positive despite a positive result with the window period of 2 weeks and thus the longer window period for further antibodies testing

however the above are only accurate on hiv-1. im not fully aware of the status of hiv-2 in thailand but to my knowledge there isnt any confirmed isolate cases of single hiv-2

[arunsakda]

I wonder if it is the same guy, who has been going to Nimman for five years and had never seen a ladyboy there.

A blatant miscategorization of my post.

It was the first time I has been rudely solicited by one working the street there.

Edited September 9, 2013 by arunsakda

[sfokevin]

I wonder if it is the same guy, who has been going to Nimman for five years and had never seen a ladyboy there.

A blatant miscategorization of my post.

It was the first time I has been rudely solicited by one working the street there.

Our friend doth protest too much, methinks....

Edited September 9, 2013 by sfokevin

[eyecatcher]

it can take up to six months for HIV to show on a test. If you or a friend think they have been exposed to HIV, please do not have sex until Feb. 2014.

Back to DIY mate, still after all the +ve suggestions I will add that you will save lot of money.

Ok no one has asked why exactly do you think you need to be tested.?

Sorry I don’t have a bedside manner so I will just ask. Did you have bum sex, with girl or boy, did ladyboys take you.; did you hear rumours of a partner possibly having HIV; do you bat for the other side?

I would think some types of sex carry a much higher risk than other.

……and If I suggest I am going to have all my friends tested for HIV I think I would be shafted thoroughly into the middle of next week.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Why is it always a friend

I read it as having been intimate with this friend, so instead of waiting a couple months for a reliable HIV test, he would just get him to take the test and gain better results quicker. That makes sense.

You are incredibly hetero-centric.

To the OP, absolutely any hospital will do. I don't really get the infatuation many resident Farangs have with McCormick, but it's no worse than any of the other ones. Queueing up at Loy Kroh clinic also doesn't seem very productive, especially as they don't do the test themselves (send it off to a lab), causing a day's delay (and queuing up, again) to get the results.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Also, being an anonymous username and online forum, not sure why one would feel the need to create a story.

I can answer that. In theory it saves you and everyone else in the audience from the idiots thinking it's funny to have a go at you to show off their superior morals, or just because you appear to have more of a life than they do.

Of course on Thaivisa, as you've seen, that doesn't work.

But you had no way of knowing that in advance.