Combining the home drug test world with the home health test world, the National Institutes of Health put out a press release last week, announcing that a grant received by the National Institutes on Drug Abuse (NIDA) would be used toward determining the merits of HIV testing with and without counseling.

Make no mistake – the merits of testing, whether with a home HIV test or at a community center, are not at question:  as the release explicitly states, “Public health experts encourage everyone between the ages of 13 and 64 to be HIV tested.”  Prevention is important above all.

What scientists want to find with the stimulus money, however, is how well counseling in conjunction with testing will work to help those who test negative for HIV change risky, often drug-related behaviors.  At the moment it is already known that routine screening for HIV helps cut down on these behaviors, which is yet another reason to take a home AIDS test.

With World AIDS Day coming, it is important not only to improve the quality of HIV screening, but raise awareness of its necessity.  You can screen very simply and confidentially with a home HIV test.  You can get your results by phone or by email or regular mail.  Counselors are available to answer your questions too.

The home HIV test, in both standard and express varieties, is the only FDA Approved home health test for HIV/AIDS on the market.  As the NIDA does its part to improve testing services, be sure to do yours by finding out your status and raising awareness.  It is easy, affordable, and anonymous to do so at home – so there really is no excuse!

If you would like more information about HIV/AIDS, be sure to read the other articles on the subject by clicking on our Home Health Testing blog’s home HIV test tag.