What is HIV?
HIV stands for ‘human immunodeficiency virus’. It is an infection caused by a virus that attacks the body’s immune system. In the UK, it is most commonly transmitted by having anal or vaginal sex without a condom.
Who should test for HIV and why?
Everyone who has ever had sex should be aware of their HIV status, and test regularly. We advise testing at the start and end of a relationship, or every 3-6 months if you are having regular changes in sexual partners. Testing for HIV is now easier than ever.
Knowing your HIV status means you no longer need to worry. If you test negative you can take steps to protect yourself, such as taking PrEP. If you test positive, an early diagnosis means you can start simple and effective treatment sooner, which will reduce the chances of becoming unwell. Now we have effective treatment, HIV has become like many other medical conditions. By taking as little as one tablet a day the virus is completely controlled and cannot be passed on. People diagnosed early with HIV and started on treatment can remain fit and well, and live as long as anyone else.
Find out more about the importance of testing for HIV:
COVID isn’t the first pandemic to cause mass panic around the world.
Back in the 1980s there was a lot of fear around HIV and AIDS and, for good reason.
People were dying, nobody knew why and it was seriously getting in the way of people’s sex lives.
Well, what if I told you that we’ve beaten it?
That thanks to massive advances in modern medicine, AIDS, at least in the UK could be over if we want it to be.
Right now an HIV positive person who’s taking their medication can live a full and normal life entirely without fear of ever developing AIDS or passing HIV onto sexual partners, no matter what they do together.
That’s right. In most situations as long as they’re taking their meds, it’s 100% impossible for them to pass it on.
Not to their boyfriend, their girlfriend, dentist, doctor or tattoo artist, no one.
In fact, the only people passing on HIV right now are people like you. Yes you. People who’ve had sex but not had a test.
There are thousands of undiagnosed cases in the UK, but if we all got a test, we could end the transmission of HIV in Britain this year.
It’s easy to do. In fact, it’s no more hassle than a lateral flow and there are tests that can give you a result in minutes.
If you’re one of those thousands, you’ll have saved yourself from developing symptoms and from passing it on to the people you love.
Or that you just really, really like.
There’s so much bad news in the world. Wouldn’t it be great to share some good news?
So let’s all shout it from the rooftops. HIV is easy to test, easy to treat and impossible to pass on to partners when managed properly.
Let’s do something good. Let’s get regularly tested and start getting positive about HIV.
When should I test for HIV?
If you think you may have been exposed to HIV in the last 72hrs it is important to seek advice as soon as possible as you may be able to take PEP to prevent HIV.
If more than 72 hours has passed, there may be some time to wait before we can get an accurate result (known as the ‘window period’). If you do not currently know your status we recommend testing as soon as possible then repeating the test after the window period has passed.
How can I test for HIV near me?
At Brighton and Hove SHAC all of our HIV testing is free and confidential. An HIV test is a routine blood test offered to everybody having a sexual health screen.
There are lots of places you can get an HIV test in Brighton & Hove, including both free and paid for options. If you are not in Brighton & Hove, you can access HIV testing from your local sexual health clinic.
What are the different types of HIV test?
There are two main types of test for HIV:
- Tests that use a blood sample that is sent to a laboratory
- Rapid HIV tests (self sampling tests)
Tests sent to a laboratory for testing
These tests have the shortest window period (45 days) which means if you get a negative result and have had no risk of HIV in the 45 days before doing the test, you can be sure you don’t have HIV. You can come into a clinic to have this test or take the blood sample yourself at home.
In clinic
We take a small sample of blood, which is sent to a laboratory and tested for HIV as well as other blood-borne viruses and syphilis.
At home HIV testing
Kits that you can order from our at home STI testing service or collect from our vending machines have all the equipment you need to collect your own blood sample at home and send back to us for testing at the laboratory.
Tips for how to take a blood sample at home using our at home STI testing service:
How to take a Finger Prick Blood Sample at Home.
It’s free, easy, and confidential.
Welcome to this tutorial on how to take a blood sample for your at-home STI test kit. The pack you have received contains:
- A cleansing wipe
- 2 lancets for pricking your finger, in case one doesn’t work or you need to try again
- A plaster
- A vial for collecting the blood- you must fill it to the 1ml mark.
The pack also contains an absorbent pouch or pad you can use to put the blood pot in, and a plastic bag to place it in.
Before starting, you should wash your hands in warm water, and to facilitate blood flow to your fingers, make sure you keep your hands hanging by your side for a couple of minutes. You can also shake your hands or jump up and down just to ensure better blood circulation.
Step 1- Start by wiping your finger with the wipe.
Step 2- Press down on the finger you’re going to pierce, and unscrew the top of the lancet.
Step 3- Press down the lancet on your finger, like a button, and you should see a drop of blood. Wipe away the first drop of blood and squeeze a few drops of blood into the vial.
Step 4- Position your hand above the vial and massage your finger downwards to ensure that you get enough blood drops.
Plaster your finger afterwards!
Check that the blood collected is at least 1 millilitre. Do NOT dilute your blood sample in any way as this makes it unsuitable for testing. Discard the lancets and wipe once you’ve collected your sample.
Lastly, You must post your samples back the same day you collected them. you can place the blood vial in the pouch, along with any other samples. Place it in the plastic bag and put it back in the box, remove the yellow seal, close the flap, and your test is ready to post!
Thanks for watching.
Rapid HIV testing
These tests have a longer window period (90 days) and reactive results on rapid HIV tests always need confirming with a further blood test at a sexual health clinic. A negative result is reassuring, but very recent HIV infection (within the last 90 days) may not be detected by these tests, so you should always re-test again in 3 months if you’ve had a recent risk.
Finger prick blood (in clinic)
This test uses a single drop of blood and gives a result within 15 minutes. You may be offered this test before starting a course of PEP or PrEP.
Oral swab
These tests are extremely accurate (99.7%) and by using a mouth swab, give a result in just 15 minutes. They are available free from one of our vending machines, and further information is available about understanding your HIV self test result .
Tips for how to use the Oraquick oral HIV test at home from one of our vending machines: