Education
Testing
3 types of test all done through blood work:
HIV antibody test: this test looks for the amount of HIV antibodies present in the blood
Antigen test: in early stages of HIV the antigen on HIV that causes an immune response is protein P24. This antigen test looks for that and other antigens that are linked with HIV in the blood.
PCR test (polymerase chain reaction): this test detects the genetic material of HIV in the blood, a process known as Nucleic Acid amplification Testing or ‘NAT’
Results:
Depending on the test used, getting results back can take anywhere from a couple of days to a couple weeks to get back
Accuracy:
Standard antibody blood test have a 95.5% accuracy rate but when paired with another test (required) have a 0.1% inaccuracy rate (AVERT, 2009).
