Approval Finally Comes For New Hiv Test

In an effort to reduce the number of individuals who are unaware that they are infected with HIV

, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved the use of a new HIV testing method that is capable of detecting infections days earlier than previous tests.

Instead of looking for the antibodies produced by HIV, these new testing methods look for HIV antigens - proteins that are produced by the virus. Most current HIV tests look for antibodies to determine if an infection is present, but those antibodies can take anywhere from 60 to 90 days to appear according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC). Says Peter Leone, director of North Carolina HIV/STD Prevention and Control Branch.

"A significant percentage of new HIV infections are transmitted by someone with an undetected acute infection, so identifying more people earlier offers a significant opportunity for counseling, which can reduce high-risk behaviors."

It is critical to detect the disease's presence as early as possible, since individuals are at their most infectious stage shortly after they have contracted the disease. Knowing their HIV status much earlier will allow people at risk to modify their sexual behavior accordingly, potentially decreasing the rate of spread.

The European community has been utilizing this new test for several years, and officials at the FDA have acknowledged the strong results that they have seen from it. By making this new testing available immediately, the FDA is hopeful that declines in transmission rates overseas can be replicated here in the states.

As of yet, it is unclear if this new type of testing will be made readily available to county, state, and other free health clinics. They have generally used standard testing due to it being readily available and affordable. However, with the release of more federal stimulus money throughout the rest of 2010, there are hopes that some of those funds can be allocated towards making more advanced testing that has only been available for private testing, available to those who cannot afford it.

by: Andrew M. Gibson

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