Discreet HIV Test Singapore

HIV infection will cause an infected person to produce antibodies as a response to fight the disease. HIV tests revolve mainly on detecting these antibodies to indicate whether HIV infection is present in the human body.

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Discreet HIV Testing Singapore

In 2007, the Ministry of Health Singapore (MOH) had approved a second method of HIV screening. Rapid HIV test kits are allowed for HIV testing. If the HIV test is performed properly, it has comparable accuracy to conventional discreet HIV testing ways. It only involves either a non-invasive oral swab or a quick prick on the finger (rather than drawing blood with needles). The results come out within 10-20 minutes, which tremendously reduces a patient’s anxiety while waiting for his/her HIV test result.

What Is The HIV Window Period?

A window period for HIV is the time between your HIV exposure to the time when the infection is detectable via HIV testing. In most cases, the HIV window period can be up to 3 months, or in some instances, even longer.
If HIV testing is performed within the window period (ie, less than three months from the time of exposure), you are advised to repeat the test again three months after HIV exposure, as the initial results may be inconclusive. The same goes for discreet HIV testing.

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Types Of Discreet HIV Test Singapore

Time of Exposure	Recommended HIV Tests	Fluid used for tests	Duration before results
10-14 days	HIV RNA/DNA PCR test	Blood tests	1-2 weeks
2-4 weeks	4^th Generation HIV p24 Antigen and Antibody test	Finger prick test	20 min
More than 4 weeks	3^rd Generation Rapid HIV antibody test HIV Antibody test	Oral saliva or finger prick test Blood test	20 min 1-3 days

*There are unfortunately no reliable discreet HIV tests for exposure within the first 10 days. It is important to speak to your doctor within 72 hours after potential HIV exposure to consider HIV Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) or HIV PEP. HIV PEP is a short course of medication taken within 72 hours of possible HIV infection. If you suspect you have been. infected with HIV, see a doctor immediately to get tested for HIV.

INFORMATION ON DIFFERENT HIV TESTS IN SINGAPORE

These are some ways to get tested for HIV in Singapore should you suspect you are infected with HIV.

HIV antibody test in Singapore

This is a blood test routinely offered as a screening test for HIV testing. This involves ELISA laboratory technique where proteins or enzymes are being immobilized on a solid plate surface, allowing HIV antibodies, if present, to interact with the enzymes or proteins. This test is a reliable, repeatable way to detect the presence of certain HIV antibodies and thus HIV positive infection.

Positive HIV antibody ELISA test results (a HIV positive test) are usually seen within 3-6 weeks after exposure. The accuracy of ELISA HIV antibody tests is 90% at 1-month post-exposure and more than 99% at 3-months post-infection.

Western Blot for HIV, Singapore

If a person is found to have a positive HIV ELISA antibody test, further confirmatory tests will be offered to ascertain infection. This involves the Western Blotting laboratory assay technique to detect antibodies in the patient fluid that will react to different viral proteins in HIV.

A positive Western Blotting test is defined as the presence of antibodies to all the 3 main groups of the HIV protein. One can have indeterminate Western Bloting results. This can be due to the presence of other unrelated antibodies of the body that cross-react with HIV proteins, or it may simply mean the HIV immune response is still developing post-infection.

When a patient receives an indeterminate Western Blot result, the patient should repeat the HIV test at 1, 2 and 3 months post-exposure of the suspected infection. If the test result is positive, together with a positive HIV ELISA antibody test, the sensitivity and specificity of both exceed 99.9%. If the results are negative, testing should be repeated 3 months after exposure.

Rapid HIV testing can be used as screening tests with a quick result out within 20 minutes. A negative rapid HIV test results do not require confirmatory testing, but positive results require confirmation with both ELISA and Western Blot testing to ascertain if the patient is infected with HIV.

4th Generation HIV P24 Antigen and Antibody Test in Singapore

4th Generation HIV test screens for HIV antibodies and p24 antigen, which is the first virus antigen that appears in the body. This helps to reduce the window period of testing to 2-4 weeks.

HIV RNA/DNA PCR test in Singapore

HIV RNA/DNA PCR test screen for evidence of the HIV virus itself to suggest positive HIV infection. This can be used for testing early screen in people with high-risk to exposure or in cases where the Western Blot results are inconclusive.

Disclosure of HIV results

Discreet HIV testing in Singapore is available.

It is, however, required under Singapore law that a person with HIV infection:

To reveal his/her HIV status to their sexual partner before sexual intercourse
To advise his/her sexual partner to go for HIV screening
To inform any doctor or dentist on his/her HIV status before any invasive procedure

It is NOT required by law for people with HIV infection:

To disclose their health status to individuals that do not have a sexual relationship with, including relatives or employers. The identity of the person with HIV is protected under the current laws concerning communicable diseases. Any unauthorized disclosure of anonymous health information is strictly prohibited in order to prevent identity exposure.