In this week s episode of ER , Mark Greene convinces a young prostitute to take a rapid HIV test. According to Dr. William Kassler of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the rapid HIV test is a new technology that makes it possible for some people to get their test results at the same doctor or clinic visit in which they are tested. That s important because, when standard tests that take weeks are used, many people, some of whom may be infected with HIV, don t return for their results and don t get the medical attention and counseling they need. The following information was provided by the Centers for Disease Control and the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Antibodies indicate that the body is mounting an immune response to the virus.
Up until the rapid test became available, people wanting an HIV test would go to the doctor s office, clinic, or HIV test site to have blood drawn from a vein. The blood was then sent to a laboratory to be analyzed with special equipment. Patients had to return a week or two later to receive results. A positive result from a standard test is 100 percent accurate. For a rapid HIV test, a drop of blood from a finger pinprick can be analyzed immediately, so that the results are available in as quickly as ten minutes.