Another article questions the sensitivity of the at home test, OraQuick. Apparently their own (OraSure) research is a bit cloudy on the matter. In this case, sensitivity refers to the test's ability to detect HIV antibodies. Part of the study said OraQuick has a 92% sensitivity & another stated 99.9%. OK, lets try to clear that up shall we. The 1st instance gives us 8 out of a 100 people receiving a false negative in regards to the presence of HIV. That means those 8 people are actually +, but now think they aren't. The 2nd number gives us a whopping 1 per person in 1,000 receiving a false negative.
Which is it, 8% or 0.1%? That's fairly significant difference there. I'm keeping my stance in opposition on this matter. This is not information most people are going to handle well. Many won't even know where to begin to look for help. This test is a curiosity device & will still require a professional test to be considered accurate. I received an ELISA to determine my status & was still required to have a western blot to confirm it in order to receive any help.
I know a lot of people will disagree with me on this & it's pretty much a done deal. Still, I'd rather have someone I know go to a professional to be tested before using this at home device.
Cya...
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