Window period: refers to the period between when HIV enters the human body and when sufficient amounts of HIV antibodies are produced in the blood for detectable HIV antibodies.

Since the discovery of AIDS in 1981, with the continuous advancement of detection methods, the definition of the AIDS window period has undergone many changes.

Initially, in the 1980s and 1990s, research on AIDS was still in its infancy.

The American Foundation for AIDS Research (AMFAR), led by Dr. Mathilde Krim, Ph.D., proposed the concept of an AIDS window period of three months in early AIDS research. This was in response to the relatively new AIDS epidemic at the time.

In terms of backward detection methods, this statement was adopted by the World Health Organization and included in medical textbooks around the world.

With the emergence of HIV antibody detection methods such as enzyme-linked method and double-primer sandwich method, the HIV window period has been shortened to the most conservative 6 weeks when the HIV antibody peak occurs.

Extended information: The AIDS window period is about 20 days. The blood donor is infected with AIDS, but within 20 days, the antibody component cannot be detected in the blood. The blood may infect the recipient with HIV during use.

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AIDS may not be detectable within 20 days using traditional methods in the past, but with current nucleic acid testing methods, it may be detectable after 10 days.

In 2015, all blood stations across the country will adopt nucleic acid testing methods to reduce the risk of infection during the window period.