HIV Home Test Kits - How do they work?

Recent advances in technology have made possible self-testing for HIV.

This allows individuals who may be worried they have HIV symptoms or are concerned about their HIV status to test in the privacy of their own home at their convenience. The HIV home test kits are extremely accurate and very easy to use. Head Start testing sells HIV test kits online through its website.  The test kits are >99% accurate, cover type 1 and 2 virus.

So before we get into how to use a HIV home test kit, let us look at what they detect.

All HIV test kits available today, whether purchased online, or carried out by a medical professional in a std, HIV or general blood testing facility check for the HIV anti-body, not the virus. The antibodies are produced after your body produces them in reaction to the pathogen (in this case the HIV virus).  HIV tests do not detect the HIV virus, they detect antibodies produced as a result of it. 

Humans take in general 4-12 weeks to produce these.  This means that any type of HIV test is not effective if your exposure is recent. Typically most will develop antibodies within 4 weeks but 12 weeks is seen as the safe window period to work with. A common testing practice then, is to test at 4 weeks (to be a strong indication) and again at 12 weeks ( to be certain).  Remember, this window period is the same for all tests whether from your doctor or an online provider such as Head Start Testing. As early HIV symptoms are very similar to those of other illnesses and many individuals show no symptoms at all, testing forantibodies is seen as they only reliable way to detect HIV.

So, how do HIV home test kits work?

1. The test is a simple process that involves the following steps.
2.  After washing your hands, open the sealed pouch of the test kit. Using the alcohol swab , clean your finger. 
3.  The included lancet delivers a small measured pin prick to your finger which. 
4.  Collect 2 or 3 drops of blood in the micro pipette and place the drops into the sample well on the test strip. 
5.   Add a few drops of diluent into the sample well.

Resource: http://www.amazines.com/article_detail.cfm/4643019?articleid=4643019