The Test Of A Lifetime Two Companies Offer Hiv Test That Can Be Administered At Home, With Results Sent In Mail

Words flash on the television screen to the beat of an edgy, hard-rock riff.

“Sky diving

Bungee jumping

Mountain climbing …

Now you wanna try something really dangerous?

Unprotected sex.”

This 15-second spot for Home Access HIV-1 Test System fits right in on MTV, running between music videos and “Sex in the ‘90s” news specials. Home Access Health, makers of the at-home HIV test, use the “Super Risky” spot and other attention-grabbing commercials to reach its biggest market: people in their 20s and early 30s.

“Forty percent of our users are between the ages of 26 and 35, and 26 percent are between the ages of 19 and 25,” says Kevin Johnson, spokesman for Home Access Health. “We see the test being used by a pretty mature-minded young group, those going in and out of relationships who want to be sure of their HIV status.”

Competing with Home Access is Johnson & Johnson’s Confide, the only other over-the-counter home HIV test kit on the market, recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Arisa Cunningham, marketing director, says Confide’s customer base is similar to that of Home Access. Neither company releases sales figures.

Confide has three commercials, each in both Spanish and English, which run during prime-time shows such as “Beverly Hills, 90210,” and “ER.” Two are male and female versions, which feature young, attractive twentysomethings taking the test. The third commercial focuses on an HIV counselor. Confide also runs print ads in such magazines as Rolling Stone, Men’s Health, GQ, Ebony and Jet.

With HIV testing becoming more common in this age group, expect to see more advertising targeted toward young people, pushing the importance of learning one’s HIV status. Many people are reluctant to be open about such a sensitive issue. Home testing is for them; it provides anonymity.

“It’s become very clear that testing is extremely important,” says Paul Botticello, executive director of AIDS Project Hartford, Conn. “It’s important for people to know their HIV status to prevent the spread of the disease.”

When you send your collected blood sample to Home Access or Confide, the company’s labs test it for the presence of HIV-1 antibodies. In the United States, HIV-1 is the most common type of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. When a person becomes infected, the body creates antibodies to fight it. In almost all cases, the antibodies appear within six months.

Labs for both companies screen your blood using a test called the Enzyme-Linked Immunoassay. If you test negative, it’s more than 99.99 percent certain that you were not infected with HIV as long as six months ago. (If you were infected more recently, your body may not have produced the antibodies yet.)

If you test positive, a more specific test, the Immunofluoresence Assay, is used to confirm it. If this test is also positive, it’s more than 99.99 percent certain that you are HIV positive. These are the same tests used by doctors and hospitals.

For both Home Access and Confide, names are not used, guaranteeing total confidentiality. (For tests ordered by mail or phone, all personal information is destroyed after the order is processed.)

Your blood specimen collection card includes a personal access code number. You must have this number to receive results.

With Home Access, results should be available a week after you ship your specimen by mail. Home Access also offers an express version with a Federal Express mailer, usually providing results three business days after mailing. You can call for your results 24 hours a day, seven days a week (except holidays).

If you test negative, your result is available for 30 days. If you test positive, your result is filed for up to one year.

Confide provides a Federal Express return mailer, with results available three business days after mailing. You can call for your results Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

If your result is inconclusive, both companies suggest retesting one to three months later. If your sample is untestable, meaning you didn’t provide enough blood, or spilled coffee on your test card, Home Access provides a new testing kit at a reduced price. Confide offers a new kit free.

Both companies offer counseling by professional HIV counselors.