HIV project - testing
Storyboard Text
- I think I might have HIV! Should I get tested? How?
- Although HIV tests are very accurate, they cannot detect the virus immediately after infection. There are three types of tests for HIV.
- Really?
- Yeah. Antibody tests look for antibodies to HIV in a person’s blood or oral fluid. They can take 23 to 90 days to detect HIV after exposure. Most rapid tests and the only FDA-approved HIV self-tests are antibody tests.
- You said there were three types of tests. What about the other one?
- Antigen/antibody tests look for both HIV antibodies and antigens. Antibodies are produced by a person’s immune system after they’re exposed to viruses. Antigens are foreign substances that cause a person’s immune system to activate. If a person has HIV, an antigen called p24 is produced before antibodies develop. An antigen/antibody test performed by a lab on blood from a vein can usually detect HIV 18 to 45 days after exposure.
- Nucleic Acid tests look for the actual virus in the blood. A NAT can usually detect HIV 10 to 33 days after exposure.
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