Dear Ann Landers,
If I test negative for one year, is there any chance of testing positive 5 or 10 years down the road? The counselor advised me that the test was accurate and if I tested negative after a year, it would mean that I didn't catch the virus from my boyfriend. However, I have been told by others that the virus can hide in your system and you will not test positive for years. That means I must take the test every year for the rest of my life. Please consult your experts so I can know the truth and stop tortur-ing myself about this. -Confused in N.Y.

Dear Confused,
I checked with Dr. Jerome Groopman, Recanati Professor of Immunology at Harvard Medical School and one of the country's most respected authorities on AIDS. Here is his response: The current tests for HIV are highly accurate. The false negative rate is less than 1 in 1,000. More than 90 percent of people who are infected with the AIDS virus will test positive three months after exposure, 99.9 percent will test positive at six months and at 12 months, it's 100 percent. There is no need for yearly testing if an individual tests negative at 12 months. If the test results are unclear, seek consultation with a specialist who can perform other tests for antibodies or the virus itself. Here's m,ore information on how you can protect yourself: