HIV Testing
Quick and accurate testing for your peace of mind
HIV is one of the most serious sexually transmitted diseases. If you are sexually active or think you may be at risk, it can be very traumatic and stressful. A HIV test is the only way to know for sure if you contracted the virus. See our HIV page for more information about the disease.
Why Have a HIV Test?
Often, HIV does not have any symptoms for many years. Even if you have developed symptoms which may make you think you have HIV, a test is the only way to know for certain.
If you are worried about your HIV status or you think you may have put yourself at risk, through having unprotected sex, engaging in high risk practices (such as anal intercourse) or had sex with a high risk partner (such as a sex worker or intravenous drug user) a HIV test may help put your mind at ease. In the unfortunate event that you have contracted HIV, early identification enables you to access specialist involvement quickly and start treatment, giving you the very best chance successful management of the disease.
What Does a HIV Test Involve?
HIV is detected by a blood test. There are a number of tests available at Nu Health depending on when you think you have been exposed to the virus. Your Doctor will discuss the right test for you at your consultation.
Before your test, we offer counselling into all aspects of the test and the results.
Rapid HIV Test
-For exposure 90 days prior to the test
-99% accurate
-Results available in 60 seconds
HIV Antibody Test
-For exposure 90 days prior to the test
-Detects all strains of HIV
-99.9% accurate
-Results within 24 hours
Dual HIV Test
-For exposure 28 days prior to the test
-99.8% accurate
-Results within 48 hours
HIV RNA PCR Test
-For exposure 10 days prior to the test
-96% accurate
-Results within 1 week
-Because this test is not always accurate, we strongly recommend a follow up with the HIV Antibody test 90 days after exposure
Emergency HIV Treatment (Post Exposure Prophylaxis, HIV PEP)
If you think you may have been exposed to HIV within the last 72 hours you may be able to take anti-HIV medication, known as PEP, which will minimize the chance of you developing HIV.
After HIV has entered your body, it takes between a few hours to a few days to infect your blood stream and affect you permanently. For this reason, it is advisable to start PEP as soon as possible after you think you may have been exposed. The medication works by limiting the disease’s ability to take hold in your body and so giving you the best chance to avoid the disease post exposure.
In order for Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) to work properly, you must take the medication for a month. During this time, you may experience some difficult side effects including vomiting and diarrhoea, extreme fatigue and headaches. Although the side effects can be quite debilitating, most people find it preferable to the risk of contracting HIV.
We recommend that following PEP treatment you have a HIV test to ensure the treatment has been effective.
Confidentiality
All procedures at Nu Health are completely confidential. For continuation of care, we will automatically let your GP know about any consultations, tests, results, referrals or advice given. If you would prefer us not to do this, please let us know and we will not disclose the above.
Click here or Call us FREE on 08000 30 29 30 to make an enquiry or book your appointment
Finance Options
Nu health has a range of finance options to help you manage the cost of your treatment.
