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Aids Test Accuracy



 Submitted by Medical Health Test Team on May 21, 2010
HIV Testing Accuracy

AIDS is a terminal condition that is a result of a person contracting the HIV virus through unprotected sexual activity or through tainted needles. This combination puts drug users and persons involved with multiple sexual partners at risk of contracting this condition. At the moment there is no known cure for AIDS and the only treatment is targeted at slowing the progression of the condition. For this, testing is required in order to confirm the presence or absence of the HIV antibodies in an individual. HIV/AIDS is one of the leading causes of deaths that occur worldwide. It is particularly prevalent in African communities due to lack of education, lack of testing, and the extreme poverty conditions that exist there.

HIV testing can be done at a clinic or at home. There are several different methods used in a clinic to test for AIDS. These include the Western Blot technique and the ELISA technique. These testing procedures are highly complicated and are targeted at the antibodies present in the blood sample that are linked to HIV. The third form of testing, an increasingly popular method is to use home test kits. Home testing kits use saliva or blood samples which are analyzed for the presence of HIV antibodies. This type of test is a qualitative test rather than a quantitative test and simply measures if the antibodies are present or not. The test does not give a clue about the quantities of these antibodies present in the system. Home testing is extremely popular because of the anonymous nature of the test.

Modern HIV testing has become increasingly accurate as the medical science and the understanding of the condition progresses. Many modern testing clinics also allow for anonymity by simply assigning a number to a particular sample which means the patient can get the results without divulging his or her identity. Such steps are necessary in order to eliminate some of the taboo associated with the test so that testing is conducted and the spread of the disease halted.

There are a few factors that may affect the test though. The period between the initial infection and the test showing a positive can be as long as 2 months after infection has occurred. This means that a negative test cannot be taken seriously unless it is continuously negative up to 6 months after a suspected infection has occurred. This is a serious limiting factor to testing as an infected person can continue infecting others if he or she is sexually promiscuous.

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