Fourth-Generation HIV Test
This new test adds p24 antigen to the HIV antibody test, a combination that is better suited for detecting recent infection (NAM). Advantages of this rapid detection method include “(1) the possibility of functional cure; (2) treatment at the time of maximum risk for transmission; and (3) the opportunity for direct entry into HIV care vs. the long delay required for obtaining a positive WB result” (Bartlett, 2013). This delay also facilitated a delay in care and a potential increase in transmission to other parties. Dr. Joanne Stekler, associate professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Washington's Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, affirmed that “[f]ourth-generation tests can detect the presence of HIV as early as two to two-and-a-half weeks after infection” (Holmes, 2015).
Testing
Point-of-Care HIV Viral Load Testing
Point-of-care (POC) HIV test facilitates “[i]mproved access to anti-retroviral therapy” using “affordable monitoring … in resource-limited settings” (Stevens, Gous, Ford, & Scott, 2014). Through the utilization of a “number of techniques including sample pooling, high throughput, and training lay testers, it should be possible to provide a viral load for not much more than the cost of a point-of-care CD4 (rapid HIV test) count” (Cairns, 2014). The development of POC testing allows patients to “test their own viral load to facilitate HIV management in an outpatient setting” eventually making “self-care akin to standard diabetes management” (Bartlett, 2013). Once a patient is diagnosed, they would initially consult a specialist for genotyping and antiretroviral therapy. Once therapy has begun, the POC tests may be used to manage viral load, and patients would only need to consult a specialist periodically to “test for drug toxicity, comorbidities, and HIV-related complications” (Bartlett, 2013).
1,201,100 people are estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS in the U.S. as of 2011. Of those individuals, 14% had infections that had not been properly diagnosed. HIV tests are a relatively recent development in this field of study, but they are crucial to receiving proper treatment and care. Many different tests have emerged in the past few years, including antigen and RNA tests that detect HIV directly and antibody tests that detect proteins produced by the body as a defense against the virus. Previously, HIV testing required a blood sample, and while this is still the most effective method, oral tests are now available as well. Some tests are able to detect the virus’s presence as soon as three weeks after exposure (CDC, 2015).
Where can I get tested?
You can ask your healthcare provider for an HIV test. In addition, you can get an HIV test in many other places, such as at many medical clinics, substance abuse treatment programs, community health centers, hospitals, Title X Family Planning Clinics, and even some pharmacies, as well as at many community-based organizations, AIDS services organizations, and even mobile testing vans.
