HIV SELF-SCREENING HOME TEST
Thanks to our partners at Portail VIH/SIDA du Québec, Minuit Tendre now offers free HIV screening tests to do yourself at home! Fore any questions regarding HIV or self-screening tests, we encourage you to contact Portail VIH/SIDA du Québec directly.
Operation and reliability
The INSTI® self-screening test is based on the analysis of a drop of blood taken from the tip of the finger and placed in a solution reactive to the presence of HIV antibodies. The test result, which is revealed in less than a minute, is easy to read.
By following the steps precisely, studies have estimated that the percentage of positive results in the presence of HIV is 99.6%. In other words, 4 false negative results could occur among 1000 tests carried out. The specificity of the test is estimated at 99.5%, which means that 5 results could be falsely positive out of 1000 tests carried out.
Important things to know before using the test
This test does not confirm non-transmission of HIV for recent exposure. To ensure reliability of the result, it is important to consider the serological window. This is the time that must pass after exposure to HIV for this test to detect the presence of antibodies. It is best to wait 12 weeks after exposure in order to have clear confirmation of the positive or negative result. If you think you have recently been exposed to HIV (less than 72 hours), you should consult a health professional as quickly as possible so that they can assess the risk of transmission and prescribre PEP (postexposure Prophylaxis) as needed. PEP is a treatment combining several antiretrovial injection after potential exposure.
How to use
We recommend taking a look at the adjacent diagrams or visiting the explanatory video produced by Portail VIH/SIDA du Québec to learn the procedure step by step.
Step 1 : Wash you hands, make youself comfortable and place in front of you the test device, the three small vials and the sterile lancet.
Step 2 : Open vial 1. Prepare the lancet, massage the finger a few second to facilitate blood collection, then place the lancet on the side of the finger you wanna prick. Once the drop appears, drop it in vial on.
Step 3 : Put the cap back on vial 1 and swirl it up and down three times. Put the liquid in the device and wait for the liquid to lose its color.
Step 4 : Stir vial 2 and put the solution into the device. Wait for the blue liquid to lose its color. A dot shoud appear.
Step 5 : Take the third vial and drop the liquid into the device. The result should be responsive (appearance of a second dot) or non-reponsive after a few seconds.
