HIV Test Kit

At the height of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, it seemed that information about HIV and AIDS was everywhere. While HIV (the human immunodeficiency virus) is still very much an issue today, advances in drug therapy and longer life expectancies have taken a lot of the media buzz out of the issue, and it is no longer something that is a regular feature on the front pages of the newspaper. However, it seems that our modern need to always be moving on to the next thing may have caused us to forget a bit of the due diligence that is associated with preventing any sexually-transmitted infection, let alone one like HIV, for which there is no cure. The following overview is a reminder of the signs and symptoms that are often associated with an HIV infection, and a reminder of how to reduce your risk.

HIV testing has come a long way over the past decade. You might be surprised at how easy and accurate it can be nowadays. One of the biggest changes has been the move from taking blood samples to using an oral swab. This is called an antibody screening test, and it tests the antibodies in your blood for the presence of HIV. Your antibodies are little components of your body that are used to fight infection and disease. If those antibodies have been in contact with the HIV virus, then they will have traces of it in them.

You can be tested for HIV in a number of different ways. The most commonly used method is through antibody testing. This is performed with an oral swab, and results can be found in just minutes.

Did you know that right after you are infected with HIV you may still test negative for the virus if you were to be tested at that time? There exists what is known as an HIV test window, and it refers to the period of time from when you are first infected to when the virus will actually show up on HIV tests.