Q: World AIDS Day is December 1. What are the current choices for HIV testing?
A: The most common HIV test is the antibody screening test (immunoassay), which tests for antibodies that the body makes against HIV. It may be conducted in a lab or as a rapid test at the testing site.
Currently there are only two home HIV tests: the Home Access HIV-1 Test System and the OraQuick In-home HIV test. (If you buy your home test online, make sure it is FDA-approved.) The Home Access HIV-1 Test System is a collection kit that involves pricking your finger to collect a blood sample, sending the sample to a licensed laboratory and then calling in for results as early as the next business day. This test is anonymous. The OraQuick In-Home HIV Test provides rapid results in the home. The testing procedure involves swabbing your mouth for a saliva sample.
RNA tests detect the virus directly (instead of the antibodies to HIV) and thus can detect HIV at about 10 days after infection—as soon as it appears in the bloodstream, before antibodies develop. These tests cost more than antibody tests and are generally not used as a screening test, although your doctor may order one as a follow-up test, after a positive antibody test or as part of a clinical workup.
—Source: AIDS.gov, an official U.S. Government website managed by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Good Neighbor Pharmacy Health Connection, November 2016
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