Latest News

HIV Test: The Top Ten Questions Answered

Becky Kuhn, MD, answers the top ten questions about the HIV test and how different HIV tests are used together during HIV testing: 1) How do HIV tests work? 2) What are the window period and false negatives? 3) How long after exposure to HIV does it take for a person to get an HIV positive test result? 4) What’s the risk of a false positive on the initial ELISA HIV test? 5) What’s the risk of a false positive diagnosis after a Western Blot HIV test? 6) Can I be HIV tested for free? 7) Can I be HIV tested without revealing my name? Do I have to be stuck with a needle to take an HIV test? 9) If I test HIV positive, does that mean I’m going to develop AIDS and die? 10) Why should I get tested for HIV? She also explains: anonymous HIV testing; confidential, name-based HIV testing; home-based testing for HIV-1; and use of the PCR Test for detection of HIV infection during the window period. There is a 98.5% chance that an “HIV positive” result on an initial ELISA test is correct (and a 1.5% chance that it was a false positive). There is a 99.9996% chance that an “HIV positive” result after an initial ELISA and a confirmatory Western Blot test is correct (and 1 chance in 250000 that it was a false positive). HIV denialists (people who deny that HIV is the cause of AIDS) often exaggerate the frequency of false positives and ignore the fact that a person must get an “HIV positive” result on BOTH the initial ELISA *and* the confirmatory Western Blot test before the person is …
Video Rating: 4 / 5