HIV is known to be a very dangerous virus known to humans and is the cause of the most dreaded disease “AIDS”. And in case one is infected with HIV, testing is an important criterion for the same. Various tests are available for testing HIV all over the world like the ELISA test, Western blot test etc.But, as it used to be the case earlier where one had to rush to a doctor’s clinic in order to undergo an HIV test now testing has been made all the more easier and confidential with the help of the HIV home test. This HIV home test makes the use of the HIV home test kit which is available in the market easily these days. These HIV home test kits detect the HIV antibodies in a span of time like around two hours. One such HIV home test kit has been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration and is called Home Access Express HIV-1 test system, manufactured by Home Access Health Corporation. The accuracy of these kits is more than 99% and is subject to the same six month window waiting period which is also applicable in all other antibodies tests like ELISA test etc. Also many other kits are available in the market but they are not approved and their use is not recommended as they may yield wrong results.

It has been observed that the people who make use of these HIV home test kit are the ones who do not want to disclose their identity to any body. Also, some people who are home bound and can not go any where because of their disabilities make use of this technique of testing.

The procedure involved in HIV home testing is:

• Open the kit carefully and also read the set of instructions given very carefully and do as indicated.
• Now, prick the finger from where the blood sample is to be taken out. Put the blood drop on the special piece of paper given along with the kit so that it absorbs it.
• Mail the given sample. Then you will be provided with a unique pin number.
• After the various tests have been carried out like the western blot or the Elisa test, the report can be obtained by calling and will be only available after the verification of the pin number.
• In case, the tests appear to be positive, then counseling sessions are held for the patients.

As it is said along with positive aspects everything has drawbacks even. The various positive aspects and the negative aspects of these HIV home test kits can be explained as below:

POSITIVE ASPECTS OF HIV HOME TEST:

• People who do not want to disclose their identity feel more comfortable doing the tests alone.
• These HIV home test kits can be purchased from stores, or can also be ordered on phone or on Internet easily, this proves to be a good option for person who are home bound due to disabilities.
• Since the kits are FDA approved so the tests are as much accurate as the Antibody tests commonly conducted in clinics.

NEGATIVE ASPECTS OF HIV HOME TEST:

• The HIV home test kits are more expensive than visiting a doctor’s clinic.
• In a home test kit, a person has a unique pin number so anybody who has the number can get the test result over the phone.
• It’s not easy to get the news of the positive result alone over the phone, so, a person needs a proper face to face counseling session which will be impossible in this case.

Thus, although home test is beneficial but one should be careful while purchasing the kit and also checking whether it is approved or not.