Dallas Voice (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 29, No. 6, Ed. 1 Friday, June 22, 2012 Page: 23 of 80
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Dr. Nick Bellos, an Oak Lawri physician with a
specialty in HIV care, called the in-home test a step
forward that will increase accessibility. He said
some people are more likely to test at home than
at a clinic or a public event like a health fair.
Bellos said he's seen three or four patients
who've done the mail-in blood tests at home, but
even with the new rapid oral version, a positive
result needs to be conf irmed.
"But anything that encourages people to get
into the healthcare system is good," Bellos said.
Resource Center's Nelson-Tebedo clinic uses a
rap>id test made by the same company seeking ap-
proval for the in-home version. Camp said that the
accuracy rate of the rapid test at the clinic under
controlled conditions is 99.8 percent.
However, the FDA report indicates an accuracy
rate of only 93 percent for in-home tests. In pre-
approval studies, the reasons for test failure range
from not understanding or fully following the di-
rections to mishandling the product.
Even with such a high accuracy rate at the
clinic, Camp said all tests are confirmed with a
blood test.
"We want to make sure there's not another
auto-immune disease such as multiple sclerosis,
Lou Gehrig's disease or lupus going on," he said.
Camp said he's worried about people who
don't understand the need to follow the diagnosis
with medical care before the onset of symptoms.
"There could be a disconnect if they get a diag-
nosis and do not seek treatment," Camp said.
He said that the main reason he hears people
say they do not seek medical care is, "I don't feel
bad."
The test only reveals HIV status. After diagno-
sis, testing is necessary to determine viral load and
T-cell count, Camp said. Those are important
numbers to determine when to begin taking med-
ca tion. To remain healthy, the recommendation is
to begin medication before the immune system is
destroyed.
The in-home rapid test can detect the virus be-
ginning three months after exposure. A nucleic
acid amplification test will detect the HIV virus 10
days after exposure, but that won't be available
for n-home testing.
Camp said a negative result on an in-home test
might give someone a false sense of security.
Someone who does an at-home test too soon after
13 online exclusive
June 27 is National HIV Testing Day. For a
list of local events, go to DallasVoice.com.
exposure and then continues risky behavior s
more likely to spread the disease than someone
who is positive, on medication and has a negligi-
ble viral load count.
Camp said that no matter how good the litera-
ture accompanying the test, "one size does not fit
all."
Abounding Prosperity CEO Kirk Myers said he
also has concerns about the in-home test, espe-
cially for his target constituency n South Dallas.
He said couples who come to his agency are al-
ways tested and given results separately. Myers
said he fears possible domestic violence when
positive results occur from an at-home test and no
counseling is available.
Another concern is people not accessing health-
care.
"Will people go underground?" he said.
Myers said that he and bis staff walk many peo-
ple through the process of testing to accessing
healthcare when they come to his agency. He wor-
ried that some people who get a positive result at
home would ignore the results until their immune
systems were so compromised that the first con-
tact with healthcare was whi le battling an oppor-
tunistic infection.
Myers also noted that for some, the in-home
tests won't be affordable.
"At $50 a pop, a lot of people won't have access
to it," he said.
But Bellos sai d he hopes at that price, most peo-
ple purchasing the test v 11 take it seriously, read
the accompanying material and seek med ical care
if positive.
Those looking for lower-cost alternatives or not
willing or able to read the directions could con-
tinue to access reliable, lower-cost or free testing
at clinics or HIV/AIDS agencies.
The FDA will decide this year whether to ap-
prove the product for sale. If so, in its report on the
product to the agency, OraSure has promised to
blanket media with advertising "to drive con-
sumer awareness and testing." ■
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Wright, John. Dallas Voice (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 29, No. 6, Ed. 1 Friday, June 22, 2012, newspaper, June 22, 2012; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth308872/m1/23/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.