Home HIV Test Kit

When it comes to HIV/AIDS testing, many don't do it for several reasons. Some common reasons are out of fear, lack of privacy, or unavailability. For many people, going to have a test taken is just too terribly frightening.

But now, there is a Home HIV Test Kit that can be performed in one's own home. It's the Home Access test and has the approval of the Food and Drug Administration or FDA. It has several components, such as specimen collection, a mailing envelope for sending the specimens to a laboratory, and pre/post counseling.

This Home HIV Test Kit is very simple. It requires the tester to prick their finger and collect the blood on designated papers which are mailed to a laboratory with a confidential PIN number. The results can be obtained by calling a toll free number using the PIN. Most usually, the results are available in three days.

The home test, as in the test in the doctor's office, practices the traditional ELISA (enzyme-linked immunoassay) and Western blot procedures. Many of them have been shown to be as reliable as the tests at the hospitals.
 
According to The Center for Disease Control and Prevention, it is recommended that one test as soon as they feel they may have been exposed. They say that if it has been six months since being exposed to the virus and the test is still negative, it is a good bet that the user is negative.

The HIV Home Access Test is confidential and anonymous. Only the user will have access to the test results with a code number.

The test is not recommended for those who take anticoagulants and blood thinners as they could interfere with the results. The Home Access HIV Test is proven to be 99.9 percent effective at finding results.

The HIV Home Access Test is retailed at $49.95 for the standard kit and $59.95 for the express kit. It can be obtained at many drug stores and varies from $45-70.