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HIV Test

HIV Test

Getting an HIV test is very important if you think you might be affected. Many health professionals believe that an HIV test should be routine for every doctor visit, due to the seriousness of the disease. Putting off testing will only make the issue more serious. Home test kits are available.

Top Questions Asked on ChaCha.com for HIV Test

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  1. How do doctors do an HIV test?

    To test for HIV/AIDS, a doctor may do a blood test or a swab ...

  2. Is it common to get a false positive on an HIV test?

    Dr. John Stansell, professor of medicine at UCSF and medical ...

  3. How much are HIV tests at Planned Parenthood?

    HIV tests cost $7 for a rapid test, $40 for confirmatory test...

  4. How accurate is a rapid HIV test at 9 weeks?

    There are no sites that say exactly how accurate a rapid HIV ...

  5. Does planned parent hood in Racine wisconsin do free hiv testing?

    I did not find a Planned Parenthood in Racine, perhaps it cou...

  1. How do doctors do an HIV test?

    To test for HIV/AIDS, a doctor may do a blood test or a swab ...

  2. How accurate is a rapid HIV test at 9 weeks?

    There are no sites that say exactly how accurate a rapid HIV ...

  3. How much are HIV tests at Planned Parenthood?

    HIV tests cost $7 for a rapid test, $40 for confirmatory test...

  4. Where can I go to get a free HIV test in Akron?

    The Akron Health Department's Adult Clinic offers free HIV te...

  5. How much is it for an hiv test?

    Some places are free depending on where you go,if you give us...

  1. How do doctors do an HIV test?

    To test for HIV/AIDS, a doctor may do a blood test or a swab ...

  2. Is it common to get a false positive on an HIV test?

    Dr. John Stansell, professor of medicine at UCSF and medical ...

  3. How much are HIV tests at Planned Parenthood?

    HIV tests cost $7 for a rapid test, $40 for confirmatory test...

  4. How accurate are mouth swab HIV tests?

    If one line appears on the strip, it means that the person is...

  5. What can cause a false positive HIV test result?

    Non-HIV antibodies can cause a false-positive result on the E...

Top Questions Asked on ChaCha Mobile for HIV Test

In the Last:
Day | Week | Month

  1. How do you get tested for HIV?

    Your family doctor, free clinic, or Planned Parenthood office...

  2. How long does it take to complete an HIV test?

    It takes about 2 weeks to get the results from an HIV test.

  3. How do doctors do an HIV test?

    To test for HIV/AIDS, a doctor may do a blood test or a swab ...

  4. Is HIV blood test <30 % positive or negative?

    <30% does not make sense for an HIV test. If you have HIV or ...

  5. How long does it take to receive HIV test results?

    There are rapid tests that have results in 20 minutes. Normal...

  1. How long does it take to get results to an HIV test?

    Results from the HIV antibody screening test, ELISA, come bac...

  2. Where can you get tested for HIV?

    You can get an HIV test here: Utah County Health Dept 151 Sou...

  3. How soon can you get tested for HIV?

    Most people will develop detectable antibodies within 2 to 8 ...

  4. How do you get tested for HIV?

    Your family doctor, free clinic, or Planned Parenthood office...

  5. Can a pap smear test detect HIV?

    Pap smears are for detecting Cervical cancer. Normally HIV is...

  1. How long does it take to complete an HIV test?

    It takes about 2 weeks to get the results from an HIV test.

  2. How do doctors do an HIV test?

    To test for HIV/AIDS, a doctor may do a blood test or a swab ...

  3. Can your saliva be tested for HIV?

    No, blood, urine or oral fluid (not saliva) can be tested for...

  4. Do you have to have a parent with you to take a HIV test?

    Every state has a statute that expressly allows minors to con...

  5. How long does it take to get an hiv test back?

    Results from the most commonly used HIV antibody screening te...

About HIV Test

Getting an HIV test is very important and the earlier one is diagnosed, the better. There is more than one type of HIV test used to determine if a person has been infected with HIV. These tests detect different substances in the blood that are present when a person has been infected with HIV. The 2 types of tests most commonly used to detect HIV infection are the ELISA (enzyme-linked immunoassay) and the Western blot tests.

Elisa - This is the first step of an HIV test. This test detects the presence of HIV antibodies in the blood. If the test is negative then the person is determined not to be HIV infected and testing stops there. If the test is positive the second step of the test is run to confirm the positive results of the first step.

Western Blot - This test is used to confirm the positive Elisa test results. The Western Blot test detects specific protein bands that are present in an HIV infected individual. In combination with a positive Elisa, a positive Western Blot is 99.9 percent accurate in detecting that HIV infection has occurred. This is the more accurate of the tests but, it is more expensive and it takes longer to perform.

As a combination, the ELISA and Western blot tests have a very high degree of accuracy. If both the ELISA and Western blot tests are positive, you are presumed to be HIV positive.

You can also test yourself for HIV at home. The Home Access HIV Test is approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). The test kit can be found at most drug stores at a cost of around $45 to $70. The testing procedure involves pricking your finger, placing drops of blood on a specially treated card, and then mailing the card in for testing at a licensed laboratory. People who use this test are given a 14 digit identification number to use when phoning for the test results in 3 business days.

It is very important to get tested early on because not only does HIV mean you are able to get AIDS, which can slowly cause you to die from at least 26 different diseases, but also because HIV also affects a person’s health in many other ways. The HIV that is within a person’s system eats away at cells that reside in different parts of the body including the brain, nervous system, etc.

Created by vickiz

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HIV Test