Q: I had sex with a prostitute 3 months back without a condom. I am observing some symptoms now. These are white coating in mouth, tiredness, stomach irritation etc. and I fear that I might be infected with HIV. Is there any anonymous testing center in India?. Please advise on this. I am very depressed now. I have a wife and 2 children. I am working abroad while my family is in India. I met my wife a year back. If I have been infected with HIV I don’t want to meet my wife as at least a mother will be available for the children.

A:There are many centres in India for testing for HIV, and giving a true identity is not a requirement at them. There are also voluntary counselling and testing centres (VCT). As you do not say where you are currently I can not give more details. However almost every big town/city has testing facilities available in both the Government and private sector. Until you have the test results you should either use a condom or avoid sex with your wife. Do get a test done and then you can stop worrying about your status. Even one negative test is enough if it is done more than 3 months after exposure. However, one positive test is not enough to say that you are HIV positive. Positive tests should always be repeated at least once, better twice.