HIV Test in Singapore-Important Things you Should Know

For decades, HIV infection in Singapore has been regarded as a disease mainly for the sex workers and homosexuals. However, the perception began to change in 2012 when newly diagnosed cases were reported. The face of HIV infection took a turn and now even some people in the community are tested positive for the infection. With prevalence rates lower than 0.1%, the number of people living with HIV in this country is relatively low, classifying it as low-level epidemic.

However, with Singapore being an international business and travel hub, and along with high number of infections found in the surrounding Asian countries, there are worries that HIV is on the rise. For this reason everyone needs to be tested and screened for the infection. HIV test Singapore is conducted by healthcare providers from many hospitals, private medical clinics and polyclinics in and around the country. It’s only wise you get tested in order to reduce or eliminate your risk of contracting this deadly virus.

What does the test involve?

When you attend a testing site, you will meet a trained healthcare professional who will offer you pre-test consultation. The healthcare provider will take your blood samples (from the finger or arm) or oral fluid sample then test for the virus. Everything will be strictly confidential and if there are other parties to be notified everything will be done on your permission. Depending on the test to be used, you may be required to wait anything from minutes to days. However, Singapore has introduced rapid HIV testing to help you know your status in just minutes.

When should you have the HIV test?

There is a term known as the "window period" that describes the duration between HIV infection and the indicators of the same showing up on the test, such as antigens and antibodies. It ranges from 3 to 12 weeks, a period where test may give a false negative result. For accurate results, tests are best conducted after this period.

Types of tests conducted

HIV test Singapore is conducted in a number of ways to determine whether you are infected or not. These include rapid tests, P24 antigen tests, HIV antibody tests and Polymerase chain reaction test (PCR). When a person is diagnosed with HIV infection, there are other tests that are carried out to determine the extent of the virus infection. These are CD4 and Viral load tests.

A report released by the ministry of health in Singapore shows that infected residents by the end of last year were 6229, of whom 1671 had died due to the infection. The number is likely to increase in the coming years. You should consider taking a HIV test Singapore to eliminate the risks of contracting this deadly virus and know how to protect yourself.