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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.
Currently, most HIV tests are limited in that they cannot be performed until sixty (60) to ninety (90) days post infection. This is because they rely upon the ability to identify key antibodies produced over that period of time. Instead, this new method can look for HIV antigens, which are proteins that are produced by the virus itself and show up much earlier.
North Carolina’s HIV/STD Prevention and Control Branch director, Peter Leone, said “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.”
He also added that knowing your HIV status that much earlier can have significant impacts upon the spread of the disease. Most individuals are not aware that the disease is at its most infectious stage during the time period immediately after it is contracted. A much needed benefit would be a decrease in the rate of transmission.
The test has been used for years in Europe, where FDA officials said it showed strong results. By making this new testing available immediately, the FDA is hopeful that declines in transmission rates overseas can be replicated here in the states. Whether or not this type of testing becomes readily available to county, state, and federal health clinics is unknown at this time. Typically, standard testing is the only approved method due to its availability and affordability. There are indications, however, the part of the yet to be released stimulus money might be able to make this type of advanced testing much more readily available.
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