Taking an HIV self-test!
"So, you've gotten your HIV self test...let's unbox it together and see what's in there and how to do it." - Demetre Daskalakis, MD, MPH
Dr. Daskalakis is an infectious disease specialist with a focus on LGBTQAI communities. He is the Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at CDC.
This video is a joint production of KFF’s GREATER THAN HIV and CDC’s LET’S STOP HIV TOGETHER. This information is shared for educational purposes and should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice. The views expressed are those of the featured medical professional and reflect information available to that professional at the time of filming.
Always consult a healthcare provider for any personal health decisions. The marks “CDC” and “Let’s Stop HIV Together” are owned by the US Dept. of Health and Human Services and are used with permission. Use of these logos is not an endorsement by HHS or CDC of any particular product, service, or enterprise.
TRANSCRIPT:
I'm Dr. Demetre, and I'm your HIV doctor.
So, you've gotten your HIV self test...let's unbox it together and see what's in there and how to do it.
Step one, open the box.
Step two, always really important to take a look at all of the directions. So, thumb through, read them all to make sure that you know what you're doing.
Now there's a little drawer. Pull the drawer out, two little envelopes.
The first one is going to be the reagent. So, it's a little test tube that you're going to use to put the test in.
So, your first step is to take the test tube out, pop it open, don't do anything else other than...pop it into the spot in the kit where it goes.
Take a look. It's right there.
Next step, use the swab to get the specimen. Here's what it looks like. That's a little paddle.
You take the paddle, you swipe the top of your gums and you swipe the bottom of your gums...and you put that into the tube.
Don't forget to set a timer for 20 minutes. So, here we go.
Then, it goes right inside the tube. And then the clock is ticking...20 minutes.
When you see the result, there's two areas on the testing kit. There's a little part that says C and a little part that says T.
C means the control. It means that the test worked if there's a line there.
The T is the actual HIV test. No line equals HIV negative.
A line means preliminary positive and it's important to...go see a healthcare provider to get confirmatory testing...and, if you need to, connect to care.
Also, don't forget if there's no second line, if the test is negative, it's a really good time to think about PrEP.
No matter what the result is. Any answer is a good one, cuz...there's always options that will help you protect your health.
Watch video Taking an HIV self-test! online without registration, duration hours minute second in high quality. This video was added by user Greater Than HIV 18 October 2024, don't forget to share it with your friends and acquaintances, it has been viewed on our site 5 once and liked it people.