I'm Still around but I'm now thinking of getting a Home HIV test kit, what do you guys think..?? Are they accurate..?

Do they even sell home testing kits in the US?

yes they are 99.9 accurate. BUT only the one called Home Access

i did so much researching of this test before and after i took it. There are instances of a false positve but rarely a false negative if ever.

I took this one...then i did a follow up with a local clinic.

Home access is the only fda approved one

ok, I just looked it up on the web. Apparently the FDA is getting ready to approve the OraQuick test for home use also. That one is even more of a true home test because you get the results at home without having to send a sample in or call anyone.

are you sure about that ronnie? if that were true, how would a positive result be reported? If you take the home access test, you call in and get results. they would be required to report a positive test, just as the case if you were to go to a testing center.

You can go to a testing center and give a false name also. The anonymous home tests are truly that, anonymous. The reasoning is that it is better for people to know and if offering them an anonymous test to get them to find out, then that is better than not testing.

Last i heard they were not gonna release the home oraquicks because of too many false positves/negatives.

But it is true about false names. when i took my home test it said either they report it or have too if i were positive. when you call for your results and if someone said you were positve all the caller has to do is hang up. how would they know who you are and how would they report to the health department.

But i think it is a more comfortable way of testing. when i wanted to know i was afraid to go to a clinic but i went right out and got the home test. then i ended up going to a clinic because of alot of drs offices never hearing about the home testing and i never did get an answer on how reliable they were.

My understanding is that OraQuick gives no higher rate of false negatives or positives than Elisa, but that is just what I recall. In general I think the reluctance of the government to approve truly "home" test kits like OraQuick is the fear that the testee will restort to suicide. At least with the mail in quasi-home kits the person has to speak to someone over the phone to get results so some minimal counseling is possible. The one "home" test now approved is not truly a "home" test since the sample needs to be sent somewhere and the test is not performed at home.

One way to get anonymous tests now is to use one of the online testing centers. They will give you results anonymously.