The testing process is consistent with current F.D.A. standards, and any sample that is reactive is retested. If a sample is repeatedly reactive, that reaction is confirmed with a more specific antibody test such as the immunofluorescent assay. Each test card carries a unique 14-digit personal identification number, which only the user knows and which is the only means of identifying the user's blood sample. Seven days after mailing that sample to the laboratory, the participant calls a toll-free number. Results are provided only after the participant keys in his or her 14-digit identification number.
Counseling is provided in Spanish as well as in English.
Data from the San Francisco Cohort Study and other sources suggest that receptive oral sex carries some risk of infection, especially if semen is ingested. What data derived from animal studies tell us about risk in human beings is always open to question. The goal of all such programs is not to achieve perfection, or reduce transmission rates to zero, but simply to move individuals in the direction of safer sexual practices. This article is from HIV Newsline .