What are the tests available for diagnosis of HIV Infection?
– Rapid Test A rapid test for detecting antibodies to HIV is a screening test that produces very quick results, usually in 5 to 30 minutes. – ELISA This is the first step of an HIV test. This test detects the presence of HIV antibodies in the blood. If the test is negative then the person is determined not to be HIV infected and testing stops there. If the test is positive the second step of the test is run to confirm the positive results of the first step. – Western Blot This test is used to confirm the positive Elisa test results. The Western Blot test detects specific protein bands that are present in an HIV infected individual. In combination with a positive Elisa, a positive Western Blot is 99.9 percent accurate in detecting that HIV infection has occurred.
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