Getting an HIV test and receiving a speedy result has never been easier. You can take a test in person or buy one online—both free and paid options are available. Rapid HIV test kit gives you a result in as little as a few minutes.
Your test will be free if you go to a sexual health clinic, a testing center, or a GP. You will be charged if you test at a private facility.
As a result of the COVID-19 epidemic, face-to-face services may still have alternative arrangements. Please get in touch with them ahead of time if you plan to visit.
You can also obtain an HIV test kit online, such as a self-test that you can take yourself and view the results in minutes. Again, you get a postal test, in which you collect a sample and submit it to a lab; they’ll will contact you with the results soon after.
Getting a result quickly
Many services provide rapid testing, which entails a finger-prick test with a result in minutes. Depending on the equipment, a self-testing kit obtained online and completed at home can give you a result in as little as 15 minutes.
A blood sample will be obtained at a testing center and forwarded to a lab, where results will be available within a day or up to a week.
If you choose postal testing, the lab will usually notify you of your results a week or two later.
An HIV test procedure
An HIV test is done via a blood test. It looks for a protein in an HIV cell or an antibody produced by the body to fight HIV, rather than HIV itself.
In the United Kingdom, the HIV test in Australia is very accurate. They can sometimes generate a positive result later discovered to be false when examined again. It is known as a false positive, and it is a rare occurrence ( it occurs in less than 1 in 1,000 cases).
Testing windows
Self-testing for HIV has a 90-day window, according to national testing standards.
The testing window for blood tests is sent to a lab and those available at sexual health clinics in 45 days.
This implies that a self-test will tell you your HIV status 90 days ago, whereas a blood test will tell you your HIV status 45 days ago.
If you suspect you have been infected with STD, get tested and know your status. Playing it down will do you no good.
