FDA Approves Home HIV Test
By: Charlotte Ames
Updated: July 5, 2012
The Food and Drug Administration has approved the first over-the-counter, at-home HIV testing kit. The Oraquick test uses a sample taken from a person's mouth, with results 20 to 40 minutes later. The test is 93% accurate at identifying people who are HIV positive and 99% correct at determining people who are HIV negative.
The FDA says a positive result with this test does not mean that an individual is definitely infected with HIV, but rather that additional testing should be done in a medical setting to confirm the test result. Similarly, a negative test result does not mean that an individual is definitely not infected with HIV, particularly when exposure may have been within the previous three months
The FDA says a positive result with this test does not mean that an individual is definitely infected with HIV, but rather that additional testing should be done in a medical setting to confirm the test result. Similarly, a negative test result does not mean that an individual is definitely not infected with HIV, particularly when exposure may have been within the previous three months
