What is the test used to determine if a person is positive for HIV?
The current HIV test – called the ELISA test – was developed in the Spring of 1985 to protect the national blood supply. All donated units of blood are currently tested for the presence of HIV. The test, though highly sensitive, was never intended to be a diagnostic tool. Consequently, a second antibody test was developed, the Western Blot. If a person’s ELISA test is positive, the second test is conducted. REMEMBER: If an individual tests positive for the presence of HIV antibodies, it does not mean that the indvidual will develop AIDS. IT simply means that the individual, at some point in time, was exposed to and infected by the virus that causes AIDS.
