The FDA has approved the first truly at-home HIV kit which can be completed entirely within a person’s home, with a gum-swab instead of a blood sample, called OraQuick.
CNN explains further:
A positive reading does not mean a definite human immunodeficiency virus, but that additional testing should be scheduled with a health professional. However, the FDA also cautions that a negative test result “does not mean that an individual is definitely not infected with HIV, particularly when exposure may have been within the previous three months.”
With 1.2 million Americans living with HIV/AIDS and 1 in 5 unaware that they are carriers. The more diagnosis methods we have, the better.
It will also be necessary to educate people as to the time it takes for an infection to show up in an individual’s body after transmission. This window period can be anywhere from 2 to 8 weeks, says the CDC. Therefore, even with a negative result, before 8 weeks from transmission, people should still be practicing safer sex.
What do you think? Will you use the at-home HIV test?