HIV Viral Qual

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the cause of AIDS disease. It is a sexually transmitted infection that currently has no cure. Most people only start displaying symptoms very late in the disease process. Therefore, it is important to get tested regularly. There are 2 main strains of HIV which produce the same clinical outcome. The HIV viral qual test is a test that is used to qualitatively measure the HIV RNA and DNA material in the blood. This is especially useful for earlier diagnosis of the disease, since the HIV 1/2 antigen/antibody lab test can be negative if the patient is in the window period.

This HIV test is performed in following conditions such as:

• Concurrent STD infection
• New or multiple sex partners
• Having unprotected sex
• Signs and symptoms of HIV
• Health care workers who are exposed to blood products
• Intravenous drug users
• Pregnant women
• Recurrent infections which are uncommon, e.g. tuberculosis, cytomegalovirus