How does an oral HIV test work?
When the CDC announced in September 2006 that everyone between the ages of 13 and 64 should start getting tested for HIV as regularly as they get tested for, say, a normal heart beat or high cholesterol , it created a bit of stir in the medical community. While most health experts applaud the recommendation on principle, the logistics of widespread, regular HIV testing for people not typically considered to be at risk may be problematic. Testing can be expensive, time-consuming (for patients, doctors and laboratories alike) and upsetting. And some people just cannot bear to be stuck with a needle. At least on that last point, there’s a viable solution: a recently FDA-approved rapid HIV test (one that doesn’t have to be sent to a laboratory for processing) that can use blood , serum or oral fluids with equal accuracy. A simple swab of the mouth and gums is all that’s required for the OraSure OraQuick Advance test, which is the only HIV test approved for oral use as of September 2006. De
