An overview of HIV / AIDS |
How do I know if I have HIV/AIDS?
Early infection with HIV usually causes no symptoms at all.
The only way to know for sure is to be tested. A doctor or
healthcare provider can test for HIV by examining a sample
of oral fluid or blood for antibodies.
Why is swift detection so important?
By testing early, a person can take immediate steps to determine
a medical care plan with their physician or health care provider.
Early testing also alerts an HIV-infected person to avoid
high-risk behaviors that may pass along the virus to others.
Sadly however, many who are tested for HIV in public clinics
are never alerted to their HIV status. In fact, each year
8,000 HIV-infected people who come to public clinics for HIV
testing do not return a week later to receive their test results.
With the OraQuick ADVANCE HIV-1/2 Antibody Test, results are
available on the spot in about 20 minutes.
Widespread availability of this rapid HIV test is likely to
increase overall HIV testing and decrease the number of people,
an estimated 225,000 Americans, who are unaware they are infected
with the HIV virus. Early testing enables infected individuals
to obtain medical care earlier in the course of their infection,
potentially saving lives and limiting the spread of this deadly
virus.
What is the significance of the Food and Drug Administration’s
(FDA) approval of the OraQuick rapid HIV test for oral fluid
on March 26, 2004?
The FDA has approved the OraQuick Advance HIV1/2 Antibody
Test for use with oral fluid and for use on plasma specimens.
Until now, the test, manufactured by OraSure Technologies,
Inc., was approved only for whole blood specimens. This is
the only rapid HIV test to be approved in the US by the FDA
for use with oral fluid.
What is the difference between the OraQuick Advance Rapid
HIV 1/2 Antibody Test for oral fluid and the OraQuick Rapid
HIV-1 Antibody Test for blood approved by the Food and Drug
Administration in November 2002?
The FDA approved the new version of the test for the detection
of HIV-2 antibodies and for use with additional types of specimens.
Until now, the OraQuick rapid HIV antibody test required a
whole blood specimen, either from a finger stick or a tube
of blood. The OraQuick Advance test can now be used with oral
fluid specimens taken from the mouth, with plasma, and with
whole blood. Additionally, the new version of the test can
be performed in a wider range of operating temperatures (59°F
to 99°F). |
