New rapid HIV tests show results in 30 minutes

Health care officials could soon be administering HIV testing at bars, grocery stores and other public venues - and giving patrons their results within half an hour.

In various locations across the state, health departments are using one of two types of tests that provide results almost immediately.

Florida Department of Health HIV/ AIDS bureau chief Tom Liberti said that a company called OraSure Technologies, Inc. produces two tests that show results within 30 minutes. One uses a blood sample from a finger prick while the second uses a cheek and gum swab.

As health care workers throughout the state pushed for testing and awareness last week, some officials were upset that the rapid test was not offered anywhere in Lee County.

"I think the state needs to explain why we don't have that yet," said Dr. Bob Schwartz, medical director for the Rauschenberg Center for Living. "It's infuriating. More than anything else, it's stupid. There's no reason not to do it. It's time."

Currently, community based testing sites swab a person's cheek and send the sample to the Lee County Health Department. Those samples are then sent to a state laboratory to be processed. Results are returned anywhere from six days to three weeks later.

Schwartz

Peter Bright, director of programs at Island Coast AIDS Network, said more people could be tested if the rapid testing programs were implemented but there is also a liability associated with the tests.

"You become the lab," he said.

There have also been some problems with the rapid tests producing false positives.

Despite the concerns, Fort Myers' Planned Parenthood is planning to begin using the rapid testing within the next six months, according to community outreach educator Jennifer McClendon.

"We need something that you could walk into the bar at 3 a.m. and give people their results. We need a better test," said Bright. "We want everybody to get tested. You don't have a GPS on your partner's zipper. Lots of people think they're not at risk, but if you have ever had sex, you are at risk."

Kris Thompson, HIV prevention and education manager for the Lee County Health Department, said that his department had been approved to do the rapid blood test but decided against it because officials typically run blood work that cover testing for HIV/AIDS, hepatitis and chlamydia.

Thompson said that because the testing covers so many different concerns, about 60 to 70 percent of people return for their results despite having to wait two to three weeks for them.

John Runde, early intervention consultant for the Lee County Health Department, said that 4,945 people were tested for HIV/AIDS at public venues during 2007. That was up from 4,118 during 2006.

Liberti said that 330,000 Floridians underwent HIV/AIDS testing during 2007. Of those, some 90,000 had one of the two rapid tests. He said he expects more than 100,000 people to undergo one of the rapid tests during 2008.

"If they want to do rapid testing, they just need to call my office," said Liberti.