Fairly soon there may not be a need to visit the doctor to know your HIV status. The FDA has recently approved a new HIV test that can be taken in the privacy and comfort of home called OraQuick. Similar to at home drug testing, OraQuick will be available at many of the retail pharmacies and online at a cost of about $40.
OraQuick uses the oral swab method which is used by many labs and doctor offices around the nation. What consumers should be aware of is that the test is not 100 percent accurate. According to the Food and Drug Administration, the test could miss about 1 in 12 of the infected people which is about a 92 percent accuracy rate. The test was found to have a 99.9 percent accurate rate of ruling out HIV in those who test who are not infected.
NBA legend, entrepreneur, and AIDS activist Magic Johnson completely endorses the test and his own infection of HIV is most likely the reasoning behind this. With African Americans and Hispanic communities having the highest leading rates of HIV infections, this test may be instrumental in saving lives.
Whether they can not afford to visit the doctor or are ashamed to do so, many people who are infected do not know their status. Despite strides in HIV and AIDS education and prevention the rates continue to climb among Blacks and Hispanics. OraQuick offers a private and relatively inexpensive way for anyone to test for HIV.
Many communities have places or special events that offer free HIV testing. Most Public Health offices and clinics have free or significantly reduced prices for HIV and can be found by visiting your county's Department of Social Services website. For national HIV and STD testing resources, you can visit hivtest.cdc.gov for more information.
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