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OK ... I'm fascinated by the potential outcome of this poll (and flame away if you must).
Here is a test done in Thailand in 2004 with Ora-quick... the current over the counter kits are now much better than the kits in 2004 (and cheaper)
Here is a test done in Thailand in 2004 with Ora-quick... the current over the counter kits are now much better than the kits in 2004 (and cheaper)
Rapid HIV test can provide accurate results for women in labor
Last Updated: 2004-07-12 9:21:50 -0400 (Reuters Health)
By Deborah Mitchell
BANGKOK (Reuters Health) - HIV testing using a rapid HIV-1 antibody test provides timely results for women in labor, allowing the opportunity to initiate treatment to prevent vertical transmission, according to new study findings.
Dr. Mardge H. Cohen, of the Cook County Hospital, Chicago, presented her team's findings on Sunday here at the International AIDS Conference. The results are also published in the July 14th issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The Ora-Quick Rapid HIV-1 Antibody Test (OraSure Technologies Inc.) took a median of 66 minutes between blood draw and test results, compared with various standard ELISA tests that took a median of 28 hours for results, Dr. Cohen reported.
Day of the week appeared to be a factor associated with significant delays in obtaining test results. Specifically, the researchers found that blood samples drawn on weekends took longer to be processed than those drawn on weekdays, 39 vs. 25 hours, respectively.
The positive predictive value for the Rapid Ora Quick test was 90% compared with 76% for the standard ELISA, she added.
In spite of U.S. recommendations for universal prenatal HIV screening and the widespread use of antiretroviral drugs among infected women who are pregnant, up to 370 infants are born infected with HIV annually in the U.S., according to estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the researchers note in their report.
Although there has been "phenomenal progress" in preventing perinatally acquired HIV infections, there are also "missed opportunities" for prevention, Dr. Cohen pointed out to conference participants. This includes women who receive inadequate or no prenatal care, and those who are not offered early voluntary HIV testing.
The investigators, led by Dr. Marc Bulterys at the CDC, analyzed the results from the Mother-Infant Rapid Intervention At Delivery (MIRIAD) study, which implemented 24-hour counseling and voluntary rapid HIV testing for women in labor at 16 U.S. hospitals in high HIV seroprevalence areas.
A total of 4,849 eligible women participated in the study, which was conducted between November 16, 2001 and November 15, 2003.
Factors that were independently associated with test acceptance included younger age, being African American or Hispanic, having a gestational age of less than 32 weeks, and having had no prenatal care, Dr. Cohen reported.
A total of 34 women tested HIV-1 positive using the rapid test and the standard tests, which was confirmed by Western blot, for a prevalence of 7 per 1,000. All of the infants exposed to HIV were given antiretroviral prophylaxis after birth. Three of these infants became infected with HIV.
Rapid HIV testing can give women in labor the "critical opportunity" to learn their HIV status and to provide them with antiretroviral therapy and their infants with prophylactic treatment, Dr. Cohen concluded.
These findings are "very exciting because until we reach the point where we can test all the mothers...women will continue to deliver babies who are HIV-positive," noted Dr. Catherine D. DeAngelis, Editor-in-Chief of JAMA. The next step, she added, is to work with the companies to bring down the price of the test so it can be more widely implemented.
The MIRIAD study was funded by the National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention. The assay kits for the study were supplied by the manufacturer. None of the investigators received funding from Orasure Technologies or from any other source.
Last Updated: 2004-07-12 9:21:50 -0400 (Reuters Health)
By Deborah Mitchell
BANGKOK (Reuters Health) - HIV testing using a rapid HIV-1 antibody test provides timely results for women in labor, allowing the opportunity to initiate treatment to prevent vertical transmission, according to new study findings.
Dr. Mardge H. Cohen, of the Cook County Hospital, Chicago, presented her team's findings on Sunday here at the International AIDS Conference. The results are also published in the July 14th issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The Ora-Quick Rapid HIV-1 Antibody Test (OraSure Technologies Inc.) took a median of 66 minutes between blood draw and test results, compared with various standard ELISA tests that took a median of 28 hours for results, Dr. Cohen reported.
Day of the week appeared to be a factor associated with significant delays in obtaining test results. Specifically, the researchers found that blood samples drawn on weekends took longer to be processed than those drawn on weekdays, 39 vs. 25 hours, respectively.
The positive predictive value for the Rapid Ora Quick test was 90% compared with 76% for the standard ELISA, she added.
In spite of U.S. recommendations for universal prenatal HIV screening and the widespread use of antiretroviral drugs among infected women who are pregnant, up to 370 infants are born infected with HIV annually in the U.S., according to estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the researchers note in their report.
Although there has been "phenomenal progress" in preventing perinatally acquired HIV infections, there are also "missed opportunities" for prevention, Dr. Cohen pointed out to conference participants. This includes women who receive inadequate or no prenatal care, and those who are not offered early voluntary HIV testing.
The investigators, led by Dr. Marc Bulterys at the CDC, analyzed the results from the Mother-Infant Rapid Intervention At Delivery (MIRIAD) study, which implemented 24-hour counseling and voluntary rapid HIV testing for women in labor at 16 U.S. hospitals in high HIV seroprevalence areas.
A total of 4,849 eligible women participated in the study, which was conducted between November 16, 2001 and November 15, 2003.
Factors that were independently associated with test acceptance included younger age, being African American or Hispanic, having a gestational age of less than 32 weeks, and having had no prenatal care, Dr. Cohen reported.
A total of 34 women tested HIV-1 positive using the rapid test and the standard tests, which was confirmed by Western blot, for a prevalence of 7 per 1,000. All of the infants exposed to HIV were given antiretroviral prophylaxis after birth. Three of these infants became infected with HIV.
Rapid HIV testing can give women in labor the "critical opportunity" to learn their HIV status and to provide them with antiretroviral therapy and their infants with prophylactic treatment, Dr. Cohen concluded.
These findings are "very exciting because until we reach the point where we can test all the mothers...women will continue to deliver babies who are HIV-positive," noted Dr. Catherine D. DeAngelis, Editor-in-Chief of JAMA. The next step, she added, is to work with the companies to bring down the price of the test so it can be more widely implemented.
The MIRIAD study was funded by the National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention. The assay kits for the study were supplied by the manufacturer. None of the investigators received funding from Orasure Technologies or from any other source.
) and leave the bar with someone else if it is negative. Maybe it would be better to test five LBs at once, and only leave with one.
Also dont forget these tests still work on antibody principals unless I am mistaken - an exposure 3 weeks previously and a viral load in the millions means risk of contracting HIV is at its highest immediately after infection (ie within couple months) or at the stage where the infected person is just about to die. I still dont like either of those odds, which is why I will stick to condoms. 
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