A test to determine if you are infected with HIV should be made available over-the-counter, a federal advisory panel to the Food and Drug Administration has recommended.
Having a home test kit available would seem to be a good idea for cutting down on new cases. About 1 in 5 people with HIV don't know they are infected, according to the Centers for Disease Control, and could be passing the virus on to others.
And early treatment seems to help diminish the virulence of HIV so a home test kits sounds like a better idea. And given that it was just recently announced by another FDA advisory panel that the drug Truvada ought to get the FDA’s blessing as a way to prevent HIV transmission, would seem to be a great idea.
But is an HIV home test kit really a great idea? On the whole yes, but, there are some big ethical holes facing home testing.
First, there is no mandatory counseling to go along with the test. You can get some counseling by phone if you want it but you do not have to do so. Shouldn’t counseling be mandatory? After all, if you test positive don’t you need to hear some information about getting medicine fast, telling sexual partners, changing any risky behavior you are engaged in and what to do if you are pregnant or have a serious disease? When you test at home shouldn’t you have to contact someone who can tell you the facts you need to know?
Having a home test kit for HIV is a bit like relying on a bathroom scale in the battle against obesity. Both tests can tell you important information. That information may well save your life. But, unless someone discusses the significance of the test result with you telling you what can be done to battle the problem, there is a pretty good chance you will either say “Thank goodness I did not test positive” and keep doing whatever it is you are doing even if it is bad for you -- or test positive and say “I have a problem and I am so ashamed or frightened I won’t do anything at all about it.”
There is another problem facing the home HIV test kit. It is not 100 percent accurate. A negative result can occur by error, misusing the test or because the infection is too recent to register. A positive result needs reconfirmation by a blood test.
Another concern is that a home test kit can be used surreptitiously. The screening test relies on a simple swab of the gums. Someone could get your DNA while you are sleeping or under false pretense or even from a toothbrush. You might get tested without your knowledge or consent.
It is still true that finding ways to let people know they are infected is better than doing nothing. Home testing will cut the rate of infection and that is good. Still, to get the most out of home testing it is important that someone from outside the home be involved in discussing the results.
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