Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is a HIV self test kit a substitute for a complete clinical testing process?

A: Absolutely not, it is a preliminary test for you to ascertain your HIV infection status privately at home, and to safeguard you and your partner/s from unknowingly transmitting the disease in its early stages. It is no substitute for further professional medical supervised testing, counseling, guidance and treatment should the final confirmed outcome be HIV positive.

Q: Are all HIV test kits sold over the Internet reliable?

A: No, because many kits have not been evaluated by the World Health Organization which is the De Facto body which verifies authenticity and quality of HIV and other medical tests, also the manufacturing plants where they are produced may not comply with international standards. We advise extreme caution in purchasing any HIV testing product that is of unknown quality.
Our product certification can be viewed here.

Q: What are the common ways in which HIV can be contracted?

A: Any activity where body fluids are exchanged, such as:

Q: Who should get tested?

A: In general anyone that may have been exposed to any of the above. At high risk are singles that have had unprotected sex with a new person. Couples in stable partnerships whose partner has had unprotected sex with others outside of their relationship. Those who have travelled overseas in high HIV incidence countries.

Q: What is the window period?

A: The time period between a person's infection with HIV and the appearance of detectable anti-HIV antibodies. Because antibodies take some time to form, an HIV antibody test will not be positive immediately after a person is infected. The initial time delay typically ranges from 14 to 22 days, but varies for different people. Nearly everyone infected with HIV will have detectable antibodies by 3 months after infection, and most definitely at 6 months.

Q: How do I use the kit?

A: Full instructions are included with the kit and may be viewed here Note: You may need to enable pop ups in your web browser to view.

Q: What does the kit contain?

A: HIV Test Kit contents may be viewed here Note: You may need to enable pop ups in your web browser to view.

Q: Is my privacy guaranteed if I order your products?

A: All personal information you provide to us will be treated in the strictest confidence. All orders are dispatched in plain unmarked packaging. Please see the Policies page for more detailed information.

Q: What is the C line on the test cassette there for?

A: C stands for Control. The purpose of the control line is to let you know that the blood and diluents mix have migrated along the cassette strip past the test result line and that you have performed the test correctly. If there is no pink line next to C, then the test is invalid and should be repeated.

Q: What is the T line on the test cassette there for?

A: T stands for Test result. The purpose of the test result line is to let you know the outcome of the test, no visible line means a negative result while a pink to red T line indicates a positive HIV status providing there is also a pink to red line at the C control line.

Q: What if the test result is positive?

A: Seeing your physician as soon as possible is essential because early treatment can extend the span and quality of your life, also protecting you from unknowingly transmitting HIV to others.

Q: Why do I need to re-test at least two times?

A: Because the first stage of HIV infection may go un-noticed without any experienced symptoms, please see the window period description above for details.

Q: How does your kit compare with hospital HIV screening tests?

A: Clinical studies have demonstrated that the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of our rapid HIV home tests are comparable to those of standard Western Blot and ELISA tests used in laboratories Worldwide.

However, because HIV antibodies take time to develop, this may produce a false-negative result. Therefore retesting should be done especially if you have had a recent possible exposure, within 3 months.

Because some reactive rapid HIV test results may be false-positive, every positive test result must be confirmed by a supplemental test, either Western Blot or ELISA

Q: What is false-positive?

A: False positive results are when the test concludes HIV is present when, in fact, the person is not infected.

Q: What is false-negative

A: False negative results are when the test concludes HIV is not present, when in fact the person is infected.

Q: What is accuracy?

A: Accuracy Is the total number of positive and negative assay results of the HIV Test Kit under evaluation, divided by the total number of positive and negative results identified by standard Western Blot or ELISA reference assays, expressed as a percentage.

Q: What is sensitivity?

A: The percentage of the results that will be positive when HIV is present.

Q: What is specificity?

A: The percentage of the results that will be negative when HIV is not present.