What Does Non Reactive Hiv Test Mean
People who receive a non-reactive test result is free from having the infection. It also means that they are negative for HIV. This result indicates that there are no HIV antibodies detected within the blood. However, if this test result enough?
It is important to know that the virus does not show any symptoms most of the times. This makes it difficult for individuals to know their status. This is also the reason why HIV tests are available. Knowing your condition at the earliest time possible is an advantage. If the result is positive, then making use of immediate antiretroviral therapy is a must.
Will Other People Know Your Test Result
If you take an anonymous test, no one but you will know the result. If you take a confidential test, your test result will be part of your medical record, but it will still be protected by state and federal privacy laws. Most HIV testing is done confidentially.
- Anonymous testing means that nothing ties your test results to you. When you take an anonymous HIV test, you get a unique identifier that allows you to get your test results. Anonymous tests are not available at every place that provides HIV testing. You can purchase a self-test if you want to test anonymously.
- Confidential testing means that your name and other identifying information will be attached to your test results. The results will go in your medical record and may be shared with your health care providers and your health insurance company. Otherwise, the results are protected by state and federal privacy laws, and they can be released only with your permission.
With confidential testing, if you test positive for HIV, the test result and your name will be reported to the state or local health department to help public health officials get better estimates of the rates of HIV in the state. The state health department will then remove all personal information about you and share the remaining non-identifying information with CDC. CDC does not share this information with anyone else, including insurance companies.
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How To Read Hiv Test Results Non
Understanding HIV blood test report is less challenging and more confusing because of the terms positive, negative, and non-reactive. You understand the positive and negative, but what is Non-Reactive?
In this article, you will understand what is Non-Reactive in your HIV test results and how to read your report.
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What Is The Difference Between Hiv Negative And Hiv Non Reactive
NON-REACTIVE : Your results are HIV-negative. This means the test did not detect HIV antibodies at this time. REACTIVE :
What is reactive and non reactive in HIV test?
A non-reactive HIV test result means that the HIV antibodies have not been found in your blood. If you have taken this test at least one month after possible exposure to HIV, and you have received a non reactive result, then you do not have HIV.
Can you transmit HIV non reactive?
If I have a negative result, does that mean my partner is HIV-negative also? No. Your HIV test result reveals only your HIV status. HIV is not necessarily transmitted every time you have sex or share needles, syringes, or other drug injection equipment.
How Accurate Are Hiv Tests
HIV tests are very accurate. Once confirmatory testing has been performed, the chance of a positive result being false is essentially zero.
Sensitivity and specificity
Sensitivity and specificity are measures of the accuracy of an HIV test.
Sensitivity is the chance that a positive test result will correctly indicate that a person has HIV. This means that if the person has HIV, the test will detect it. Higher sensitivity means there is a lower chance of a false-negative result .
Specificity is the chance that a negative test result will correctly indicate that a person does not have HIV. This means that if the person does not have HIV, the test result will be negative. Higher specificity means there is a lower chance of a false-positive result .
HIV screening tests used in Canada all have a sensitivity of up to 99.9%. In other words, if 1,000 HIV-positive people were tested for HIV, 999 would correctly test positive and one would incorrectly test negative. High sensitivity is ideal for a screening test because it effectively rules out people who dont have HIV . Since the vast majority of people who get tested for HIV are actually HIV negative, the chance of a negative result being false is extremely low.
The Geenius assay has a specificity of 100%. This means that the chance of a false-positive result after confirmatory testing is essentially zero.
References
Harrigan M
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Negative Hiv Test Result Mean It Mean
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What Is It Used For
An HIV test is used to find out if you have been infected with HIV. HIV is the virus that causes AIDS . Most people with HIV don’t have AIDS. People with AIDS have an extremely low number of immune cells and are at risk for life-threatening illnesses, including dangerous infections, a severe type of pneumonia, and certain cancers, including Kaposi sarcoma.
If HIV is found early, you can get medicines to protect your immune system. HIV medicines may prevent you from getting AIDS.
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Antibody And Antigen Combined Screening Test
These blood tests are recommended by the CDC. They can detect HIV more quickly than antibody tests. They look for HIV antigen, which is a virus protein called p24 that appears 2 to 4 weeks after infection. Antibodies to HIV are also tested.
These types of HIV tests can provide the result as soon as 15 minutes.
What Is An Hiv Test
An HIV test shows whether you are infected with HIV . HIV is a virus that attacks and destroys cells in the immune system. These cells protect your body against disease-causing germs, such as bacteria and viruses. If you lose too many immune cells, your body will have trouble fighting off infections and other diseases.
There are three main types of HIV tests:
- Antibody Test. This test looks for HIV antibodies in your blood or saliva. Your immune system makes antibodies when you are exposed to bacteria or viruses, like HIV. An HIV antibody test can determine if you have HIV from 312 weeks after infection. That’s because it can take a few weeks or longer for your immune system to make antibodies to HIV. You may be able to do an HIV antibody test in the privacy of your home. Ask your health care provider about at-home HIV test kits.
- HIV Antibody/Antigen Test. This test looks for HIV antibodies and antigens in the blood. An antigen is a part of a virus that triggers an immune response. If you’ve been exposed to HIV, antigens will show up in your blood before HIV antibodies are made. This test can usually find HIV within 26 weeks of infection. The HIV antibody/antigen test is one of the most common types of HIV tests.
- HIV Viral Load. This test measures the amount of the HIV virus in the blood. It can find HIV faster than antibody and antibody/antigen tests, but it is very expensive. It is mostly used for monitoring HIV infections.
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Use Condoms And Dont Share Drug Equipment
The most common way to contract HIV is by having sex without a condom. Certain bodily fluids are highly infectious in people who are living with the virus and are not on effective treatment:
- vaginal discharge
When using condoms, make sure you are not using an oil-based lubricant as these can weaken the condom, meaning it is more likely to split. Water based lubricants or lubes are easy to get hold of and do not weaken condoms. Lube is available from most pharmacies and sexual health clinics.
Sharing injecting equipment puts you are risk of catching HIV and other viruses such as hepatitis C.
If you use needles to inject drugs, steroids, hormones or silicone, never share any injecting equipment .
Sharing water to wash or flush out needles can also lead to the transmission of HIV.
Infected blood can be injected and can pass on HIV whilst injecting into:
Why Should You Have An Hiv Test
- Federal guidelines recommend that everyone ages 13-64 get tested for HIV at least once in their lifetime. People at higher risk, such as people with more than one sex partner in the year, people diagnosed with sexually transmitted infections, sexually active men who have sex with men, and people who inject drugs should get tested at least 1-3 times per year.
- Getting tested for HIV can give you important information and help keep you and others safe. Knowing your HIV status is vital to your health. If you find out you are HIV-positive, you will be linked to medical care immediately that improves your health, prolongs your life, and greatly lowers your chance of spreading HIV to others.
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How Accurate Is The Insti Hiv Self Test
The INSTI HIV Self Test is very accurate. The accuracy of an HIV test is measured by its sensitivity and specificity. Sensitivity is the chance that a reactive test result will correctly indicate that a person has HIV. In other words, if the person has HIV, the test will detect it. Higher sensitivity means there is a lower chance of a false-negative result . Specificity is the chance that a negative test result will correctly indicate that a person does not have HIV. In other words, if the person does not have HIV, the test will be negative. Higher specificity means there is a lower chance of a false-positive result .
The INSTI Rapid Self Test has a sensitivity of 99.6%. In other words, if 1,000 HIV-positive people were tested for HIV, four of them might incorrectly test negative. Since the vast majority of people who get tested for HIV are actually HIV negative, the chance of a negative result being false is extremely low.
The specificity of this test is slightly lower, at 99.3%. In other words, if 1,000 HIV-negative people were tested, seven of them might incorrectly test positive. Therefore, the chance of false positives is extremely low, but it is slightly higher than the chance of false negatives. This is why all people with reactive test results are sent for a confirmatory test, which has a specificity of 100%. This means that the chance of a false-positive result after confirmatory testing is essentially zero.
All About Rapid Hiv Test
- Rapid HIV tests can provide results within 15 minutes or as soon as the next day.
- The word rapid refers to the time it takes to get results, not the time between exposure and testing.
- The result can take some time if the sample is being sent to another specialized laboratory.
- Blood tests done in a moment On a measuring strip, poke a pin-prick of blood. You will get the results while you wait because this test takes about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Oral samples, rather than blood, are used in certain rapid tests. Although they are sometimes referred to as saliva tests, this is a bit misleading. Oral samples, rather than saliva, extract cells from the gums surface. Antibodies to HIV are found in these cells.
- When samples are sent to a lab, you have the choice of picking up the results in person or having them mailed to you. You can choose what you want. Some clinics send the results over the phone.
A positive rapid test result must always be verified by a separate laboratory test.
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What Happens After A Non
No further testing is done to confirm a negative result. However, if a person has had a potential exposure to HIV within the three-month window period of the test, the person should take another HIV test later or go to a healthcare provider for a laboratory HIV test that has a shorter window period.
If a person tests negative and is at ongoing risk for HIV, they should retest regularly. They can also consider taking pre-exposure prophylaxis to help prevent HIV.
What Do Test Results Mean
Getting Tested
To understand what your test results mean, you first have to understand what kind of test is being used and what a “window period” is.
Most HIV screening tests look for HIV antigen or for HIV antibodies , or may look for both. Newer testing strategies use a combination antigen/antibody test. Some testing sites also use a test that looks for genetic material of the HIV virus.
The window period is the period between the time someone is first infected with the HIV virus and the time an HIV test can detect HIV infection. After someone has been infected with the virus it can take about 2 weeks for HIV antigen to be detectable with current antigen tests, and more than 3 weeks to produce enough HIV antibodies to be detected by antibody tests. In a very small number of people, the process takes up to several months.
During the window period, someone might be infected with HIV yet still have a negative result on an HIV test. Here’s how that can happen. Let’s say you have condomless sex on Saturday night and become infected with HIV. On Monday, you get an HIV test. The test almost certainly will come back negative, because there is not yet enough HIV antigen or HIV antibody for the tests to detect.
Newer methods of HIV testing are narrowing the time of the “window period” and reducing the chance of a falsely negative result.
When testing is completed, your provider will tell you the result. Possible results are:
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Negative Hiv Test Results
If your test is negative, you should take precautions to avoid contracting HIV. Pre-exposure prophylaxis and safe sex are two of them .
Even if your test comes back negative, your partner could still be tainted. Discuss having checked for them.
Some tests can take up to 6 months to produce enough antibodies to yield a positive result. If your test result is negative and its been 3 months or less since you could have been contaminated, get another test after 6 months to be accurate.
What Is A Non
A non-reactive HIV result means that your test sample did not contain HIV antigens or the antibodies that the test looks for. However, this doesnt necessarily mean that a person is HIV-negative. While the person might very well be negative, they might also have tested at the wrong time for their body. Thus, its important for these people to get another test to confirm their diagnosis. If possible, tell medical professionals the exact date of your exposure, or as close to the date as you can remember. This will help them determine whether or not you need to re-test.
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What Does It Mean When You Get A Negative Result From A Finger Prick Blood Test That You Do At Home
If you have taken an Insti HIV from Fettle, you tested at least 12 weeks after your last possible exposure to HIV and you have received a negative result, then you do not have HIV.
Find out more about when to test for accurate results.
Everyone who is sexually active and changes partners should test for HIV and other STIs at least once a year. Many STIs, including HIV, may not have symptoms.
If you are a man who has sex with men then we recommend that you test every 3 months.
Taking Preventative Medication Or Effective Treatments
Pre-exposure prophylaxis
PrEP is a medication in tablet form that is taken by people who think they are at risk of catching HIV. There are very few side effects and it is highly effective at blocking the infection.
However PrEP wont protect you from other STIs or an unwanted pregnancy, so it is still important to consider condom use and test for STIs every three months.
Find out more about PrEP and how to get it.
Post-exposure prophylaxis
PEP is a short course of emergency anti-HIV medication which is taken to try to prevent infection after recent risk of exposure. It needs to be started within 72 hours , but it is recommended that you start it as soon as possible, ideally within 24 hours. The sooner you take it, the more likely it is to be effective.
If you think you may have been exposed to HIV in the last three days, you should go to your local sexual health clinic or A& E immediately.
Antiretroviral therapy
If you are HIV+, taking antiretroviral medication is the best thing you can do to avoid passing HIV on to others. This treatment can reduce your viral load so that it becomes undetectable. This means you are unable to transmit HIV to other people. Read more about undetectable viral loads.
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Having An Undetectable Viral Load
The goal of HIV treatment is to have an undetectable viral load. This means the level of the virus in your body has dropped so low that is can no longer be detected in a test.
HIV treatment clinics commonly use two tests to measure how effective treatment is:
If you have been taking effective HIV treatment and your viral load tests have come back undetectable for more than 6 months, it means you cannot pass the virus on through sex. This is called undetectable& equals untransmittable .