What is an HIV rapid test?
The HIV rapid test is a simple test procedure, with which one can also independently get a first assessment of a possible HIV infection. The test delivers first results within half an hour, therefore it is also called “quick test”. The “quick” does not refer to testing immediately after suspicion of a fresh HIV infection. It is only meaningful from about three months after infection.
When should one perform a rapid HIV test?
Remember that you have had unprotected sex and do not know if your partner has HIV. Or imagine that you have had unprotected sex and do not know whether your partner has HIV: You are working in a hospital and came into contact with the blood of a patient whose HIV status you are not sure about. In these cases it is very important for you to find out the HIV status of the contact person within the shortest possible time – namely two hours.
Because if your partner, the patient or any person whose bodily fluids you came into contact with is infected with HIV, you can still protect yourself from infection with post-exposure prophylaxis. However, post-exposure prophylaxis is only useful within the first two hours. Therefore the HIV quick test can help here!
Within half an hour you can check the HIV status of the contact person and if necessary take post-exposure prophylaxis. The post-exposure prophylaxis is a possibility to take measures to protect the body after contact with the pathogen and thus to escape the outbreak of the disease. The HIV rapid test does not help to reliably assess a fresh HIV infection.
It is only meaningful if the infection with the HI virus occurred about three months ago. This period of time is also called the “diagnostic window”. This is to be justified as follows: The HIV rapid test is used to check for antibodies against the HI virus.
If no antibodies can be detected, there is a high degree of certainty that no HIV infection exists. However, the body needs six to twelve weeks to form these antibodies. This means that if you perform the HIV rapid test before the diagnostic window of three months and the test is negative, it is still possible that antibodies are formed in the course of the test.
The HIV infection would thus be overlooked. However, if the test is positive because some antibodies have already been formed, further diagnostics can be performed. All in all, it can be said that the HIV rapid test – like the other HIV tests – is not useful for excluding an HIV infection three months after possible infection.
The HIV rapid test should be repeated if it is not performed correctly. Another important reason for repeating the test is the timing of the test. If you suspect that you have been infected with HIV for less than three months, you should repeat the test after three months: This is because the body needs up to twelve weeks to produce antibodies. This means that a reliable result can only be expected after twelve weeks.
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