HIV Home Tests, Everything You Need to Know: Accuracy, Availability, and How to Purchase
HIV home tests has become a popular solution for those who want to test themselves privately. In the past, getting tested meant visiting a lab, hospital, or health center. With the advent of home tests, testing can now be done in the privacy of one’s home. Most tests, whether done at home or in a lab, can give results within 30 minutes.
Nowadays, we are more lucky than previous generations, because of the availability of rapid home tests. It’s easier now to know whether you got HIV infection as early as few days after exposure to infection.
Types of Approved Tests
- Different brands of rapid home HIV tests are available in the market.
- However, only the OraQuick home test is approved by the FDA in the US.
- Other tests, if not approved by health departments, may give incorrect results.
- Some of the rapid tests are approved in other countries, not USA, such as Atomo HIV Self-Test, Autotest VIH, BioSure HIV Self-Test, INSTI HIV Self-Test, and Simplitude ByMe HIV Test.
- All these tests rely on a blood sample taken from the tip of a finger.
- Some tests may not be approved by the FDA, but they have the CE mark, which indicates compliance with safety and health standards in the European Economic Area.
Accuracy of Home HIV Home Tests
- Home tests are a good solution for those who want to test in privacy.
- The accuracy of the test is good if done following the instructions.
- A negative result is reliable, while a positive result must be confirmed by a laboratory test.
How to Do the test
- A video is available to show the contents of the HIV test kit and how to conduct the test properly.
- A swab is taken from the mouth and placed in a test tube with a solution that helps extract the virus.
- A drop or two of the solution is placed on the test slide and left for 10 minutes.
- The results appear within 10 to 20 minutes and should be interpreted within that time.
- If only one line appears in the control place, the result is negative.
- If two lines appear, it may mean the person is infected with the virus, and a laboratory test is needed to confirm the result.
Where to Buy the HIV Home Tests
- The analysis package can be bought online from sites like Amazon.
- It can also be bought from pharmacies in some countries.
- The package is delivered to the buyer’s place.
SUMMARY
Home HIV tests are a good solution for those who want to test themselves privately. Rapid home tests are available in different countries, but only the OraQuick home test is approved by the FDA in the US. The accuracy of the test is good if done following the instructions. The analysis package can be bought online or from pharmacies in some countries.
