In Australia individuals have various options available to them when deciding to test for HIV. A key factor or involved in this decision is whether or not the individual wishes to accompany their HIV test with professional counseling. If the individual wishes to have assistance during the testing process and to help them cope with a positive result then they should visit a medical profession formal such as the general practitioner or STD Testing clinic.
Many individuals in Australia are now choosing to test at home with an HIV test kit for reasons of privacy and convenience. An HIV home test kit can be purchased online and the test carried out in the privacy of the individual’s home at the time of the convenience. The HIV test kit is easy to use and will give accurate and precise results within 1 to 2 minutes. Of course as the individual has not had any medical assistance with this HIV test, and they will themselves need to be prepared for a possible positive result in which case they will need to seek medical advice and treatment options available.
Of course counseling can also be offered at this time in Australia. In an important consideration when purchasing an HIV home test kit is quality. Be sure to purchase only test kits that have been manufactured in a facility that is ISO and GMP certified. This guarantees of the production quality and ultimately the quality and accuracy of the final product. Additionally you may want to purchase your HIV tests kits from a vendor that is sympathetic to privacy and that can ensure that billing information and packaging do not identify the purchase.
With only a few exceptions generally speaking if you are considering taking an HIV test the most likely you should. Generally individuals become concerned about possible HIV transmission and whether or not to take an HIV test following unprotected sex or needle sharing. This risk of HIV transmission may have occurred recently or may have occurred months or years previously.
As well as posing a health risk to others and themselves this can also be a great cause of anxiety to the individual. If this scenario applies during any way then the logical step is to take an HIV test at your earliest convenience. Early detection of the HIV virus greatly increases the survival rate and treatment options available to the individual. It also greatly reduces the likelihood of that individual going on to further transmit the HIV virus. In New Zealand you have many options available to you for your HIV test.
Recent medical technology now allows for individuals to test at home using an HIV home test kit. Of these kits are extremely accurate and are easy to use. Results are available within 1 to 2 minutes. If you would like more information on these HIV home test kits then please visit www.HeadStartTesting.co.nz The HIV tests gets solved by Head Start Testing a manufactured under ISO and also GMP quality certifications. This ensures each product and its accuracy a consistent with the original product design. Both payment collection and shipping a discreet ensuring the purchaser’s privacy is respected.
So what’s next? How do I test to see if I have HIV or AIDS?
Well you can’t test to see if you have AIDS. AIDS is an illness that is developed in HIV patients. What we are concerned about here is the possibility of contracting HIV through the incident of unprotected sex. YOU have various HIV testing methods at your disposal and regardless of how you go about having your HIV test the principal is the same. Whether through your doctor, AIDS clinic or an online provider such as HeadStarttesting.co.nz they all test for HIV antibodies. These are not developed until 12 weeks although many individuals will develop them within 4 weeks. So the first essential step to take now if your exposure was recent is to stop all sexual contact until your status is known. Then you should decide which of the HIV testing methods is suitable for you. If buying an HIV test through HeadStartTesting.co.nz you must remember that you will not receive counselling.
Many choose home testing as it allows for convenient and private testing and they have resigned themselves to going through testing without counselling. Of course if your test result is positive you will need immediate medical supervision. Many individuals test for HIV at 4, 8 and 12 weeks in order to reduce worry whilst waiting for the 12 weeks to pass. Most online stores selling HIV test kits offer discounted rates for multi-packs for this reason.
Whichever testing method you choose, the important point to stress is that if you have been at risk, do not risk others until you are certain of your HIV status.
Today you have various HIV testing methods to choose from. All will test you for the HIV anti-bodies and not the actual virus itself so before you test you need to understand the HIV window period.
Regardless of which one of the HIV testing methods you choose to use, it is essential that you understand the HIV anti-bodies are produced in response to the virus and this can take up to 12 weeks in a normal adult. This means that if you had unprotected sex last night, that it may take up to 12 weeks to show up in your blood or saliva. The majority of adults will show within 4 weeks but 12 weeks is seen as the critical cut off period to be certain you are HIV negative. As such many people that test through STD clinics or through online HIV test kit vendors like HeadStartTesting.com will test at 4, 8 and 12 weeks.
An HIV test is the only certain way to know if you have the HIV virus. No HIV symptoms are specific enough or reliable enough to act as a diagnosis.
Bearing in mind the above information, and respecting the testing intervals you have the following HIV testing methods available to you. Remember you may choose to test 3 times if your exposure is recent and you do not want to wait until 12 weeks.
-Consult your doctor who will either arrange a test of refer you to a testing centre.
-Visit an STD clinic for testing.
-Locate your city’s HIV or AIDS foundation and enquire if they have a testing centre.
-Buy an HIV self- test kit (or HIV rapid test kit) from an online supplier such as Head Start Testing. These HIV test kits are not available yet over the counter.
Should individuals be allowed to test for HIV at home?
Before I discuss the topic, let me start by stating the following assumptions about the HIV testing environment.
Assumption 1. “The ‘majority’ of individuals being treated for HIV in the developed world, were infected by an individual who did NOT know they were HIV +.”
Assumption 2. “Most likely, that HIV+ individual would have been aware that at some stage they had potentially been exposed to HIV. Yet they had chosen for some personal reason not to test.”
Assumption 3. “Most individuals worried about exposure who delay testing, do so because they feel embarrassed discussing it with their doctor or they consider testing to be a low priority”.
This is basically the “it’s probably nothing”, “I’ll do that later”, “I don’t know where to get tested for HIV” or “they seemed low risk to me” syndrome. Sadly it can lead to that person, being HIV+ and status unknown.
So…to the subject of this blog. Advances in medical testing technology have allowed for the production of extremely accurate and easy to use HIV self testing devices for use at home. These HIV self test kits can be easily purchased online. They provide individuals with the ability to test for HIV at home, in privacy and with convenience. But without counselling and supervision. Should this be permitted?
Assuming that we all are aware of the benefits of HIV testing for anyone concerned about exposure, I will get directly to the debate regarding an individuals choice to self test as opposed to requiring the assistance of a medical professional.
Our company has been selling quality HIV self-test kits now for over 2 years and as such we have gained some insight into the market for this product. Additionally we have been involved in the self-test debate and in evaluating both sides of this argument. We have encountered strong resistance from some assisted testing providers and strong support from others and from many individuals seeking an alternate testing option.
Obviously our company HeadStartTesting.com believes in the individuals rights to self-test. But why?
There are several valid reasons why to self-test and just as many reasons why to test with medical assistance. Most certainly if you are confused by the process of self-testing, worried about coping emotionally with the result, or if you can’t answer either of these questions, then medically assisted testing is for you. You should consult your doctor or testing center and be tested for HIV as soon as possible. But what if you do understand the testing procedure? After all its very simple. What if you are able to cope in the short-term with the result. As regardless of your testing method, either way a + result will require follow up medical attention and with that will come counselling (if you personally desire it). Surely then you have the right to test for HIV in privacy (if privacy is of concern to you) and with convenience (if you are putting off testing as a result). Those against self testing will argue it is not accurate, but they are wrong. The same technology is now widely used in medical testing facilities. If the simple to follow test is not carried out correctly it will give a failed test indication, not a false positive or a false negative.
An interesting and valid argument though point is the misuse of an HIV negative test result. An individual could show a negative HIV test result to a future sex-partner to justify unprotected sex. Of course this is unethical and of course dangerous. But this applies to any test result, from any testing method, including your blood results from your doctor. The test result itself is unable to validate any recent exposure that would not be detected when it is within the window period for anti-body production. The argument is about the individual, not the testing method. An individual planning to misuse or misrepresent a negative test result is just as likely to do that with any test result , regardless of how is was acquired.
Another point made is that HIV self-testing leaves the individual without important emotional support. And in this matter they are right, in the short term at least. HIV Counselling is a serious matter. For some it is not wanted or needed, in fact privacy would be their preference, but for others counselling is essential.
So….Remembering assumption 1, 2 and 3 please. Bottom line is people don’t test when they should. They delay and it is those individuals who infect.
When looking at whether their is a place in the HIV community for HIV self test kits, the key question for us is this.
Assuming that individual knows they have been potentially exposed to HIV and like the individual in the assumption above, they are not testing through their doctor and they are considering an HIV self-test. Would you or they for that matter rather:
a) They find out they are HIV+ but without immediate emotional support, emotional support that will follow shortly afterwards anyhow.
or
b) They continue normal life, not knowing they are HIV+ and simply “thinking” that some day, they should really get tested. This leads to forgoing early treatment and ongoing infection of others.
Our logic points to the reality that many of those infected with HIV today in the developed world, were infected by those who took option B. What is needed is a solution that will counter the assumptions made in the opening of this blog. A tool that will reduce by whatever % possible the individuals who know they are at risk but who don’t seek out medically assisted testing. Anything is better than the HIV+ individual remaining status unknown.
HIV Home Test Kits as available from Head Start Testing are just one part of the fight to increase HIV testing in the community.
What are your thoughts.
Have you ever delayed testing for any reason? Possibly you have used a self-test kit from a site like HeadStartTesting.com and have feedback about your experience.
hivtestingchoices 
