Category Archives: HIV Testing
Multiple HIV Tests; Which, if any, are conclusive?
On April 11th, I had a one night stand. On the April 15th, I took an HIV antibody test along with a HIV RNA PCR test. My results came back negative. On May 12th, I took both tests again, and both came back negative again. My question is, should I consider these results conclusive? Or […]
Healthcare Workers Exposed to HIV/AIDS
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). HIV can be transmitted through the exchanging of bodily fluids including blood, semen, vaginal discharge, and breast milk. Means of transmission include sexual contact with an infected person, sharing of needles or syringes with an infected person, or through blood […]
PCR Technology
Introduction Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has rapidly become one of the most widely used techniques in molecular biology and for good reason: it is a rapid, inexpensive and simple means of producing relatively large numbers of copies of DNA molecules from minute quantities of source DNA material–even when the source DNA is of relatively poor […]
HIV Testing and Diagnosis in Infants and Children
MAJOR RECOMMENDATIONS Responsibilities of Child Healthcare Providers As part of the initial newborn evaluation, the pediatric clinician should determine whether human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing of the mother has been completed properly and should follow up on any outstanding laboratory values. Pediatric clinicians should obtain testing for HIV beyond the neonatal period if the child […]
Worried about HIV?
If you are worried about HIV it might be because you don’t know how risky your sexual behavior is, you have specific questions about something you’ve done recently, or you are anxious about something you’re interested in trying in the future. It’s important to have clear information about HIV transmission and prevention. Arming yourself with […]
Keepings teens safe from HIV
When it comes to HIV/AIDS the mantra has always been: get tested. But some doctors warn that sometimes a negative test can give a false sense of security to both doctors and patients, particularly for risk-taking teenagers, said Dr. Allison Agwu, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. Rapid HIV tests are […]
Patients and Hospitals Shunning HIV Testing
Emergency room patients who are most at risk for HIV are opting out of HIV testing at a huge rate amid a hospital atmosphere cold to such testing. Hospital personnel view it as too time-consuming, and insurers are reluctant to reimburse hospitals for their test-related expenses. In 2006, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention […]
Wife sues for ‘life of hell’ after HIV error
Noluthando Mtana, an Eastern Cape woman, is suing a pathology laboratory in Port Elizabeth for a life of “emotional hell” after her husband was incorrectly diagnosed HIV positive. Mtana’s spouse, Mongesi, paid for an HIV test at Prime Cure Laboratories (Prime Lab) in July of 2004, and in August he received the results indicating he […]
Obama urges HIV testing
On the fourteenth National HIV Testing Day President Obama issued a statement supporting annual testing and safe-sex practices. Obama informed everyone that one in five Americans living with HIV do not know they are infected, and that those people are the ones who transmit HIV the most. However, Obama also noted that once people become […]
HIV testing technology in US needs to change or risk missing acute infections
A fourth generation HIV testing assay detected almost two-thirds of individuals with acute HIV infection, investigators report in an article published in the online edition of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. The researchers believe that their results show the ARCHITECT HIV Ag/AB Combo Assay to have significant advantages, including the time needed to […]
