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American Morning

House Call: Rapid HIV Test

Aired June 26, 2003 - 07:43   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: As many as 280,000 Americans are infected with the virus that causes AIDS and they don't know it. That is according to the Centers for Disease Control. A new test can determine whether a person has HIV. It can do it in just 20 minutes. And federal health officials are urging all Americans to take it.
In our "House Call" this morning from the CNN Center, Dr. Sanjay Gupta has a preview of tomorrow's national HIV testing day.

Sanjay -- good morning.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

Yes, some other numbers for you as well. Just under about a million people now with HIV in the United States, about 100 million people around the world.

Tomorrow is national HIV testing day. We're going to preview that for you by telling you about a test that's out there called OraQuick. It's is a 20-minute HIV test as you mentioned. This test has actually been around for few months, but they're finding it to be just as accurate as laboratory tests or really any other tests out there.

Now, the way that this test works simply, Daryn, it detects the antibodies in your blood. So, if you actually get just a little finger pick, a little bit of blood from your finger, you get that tested. About 20 minutes later, you'll get a result back. If you wait 20 minutes, you have 99.6 percent sensitivity in terms of your test result. If you wait 50 to 60 minutes, you get about a 100 percent, so a very good test.

One of the concerns, Daryn, for a long time, people not coming back to get their test results. A test like this, obviously, obviates some of that, and people are actually getting their test results right away.

Now, the drug itself, as you can see there, results in about 20 minutes. It has been around since November of 2002. You can't get it at your local drugstore yet, although you can get it 180,000 locations around the country -- hospitals, clinics and a lot of centers that offer counseling. But pretty promising.

Again, tomorrow, national HIV testing day, and encouraging people to get tested. The test won't work incidentally, Daryn, if it's within three months of when you think you may have been infected. You've got to wait until after three months. That's when enough of these antibodies actually build up in your blood. But if you're concerned, this is a good test for people.

KAGAN: But, it says federal officials are asking everyone to take it. That seems a bit ambitious, let's just say.

GUPTA: Yes, I don't think actually federal health officials are asking everyone to take it. They're encouraging people who think that they may be at risk of HIV/AIDS, you know, because of their high-risk behavior to go ahead and get tested. But I think that 200 or 300 million people are probably not going to get this test, but trying to increase the testing nonetheless -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Got it. Sanjay Gupta, we'll see you in the next hour. Thanks, Sanjay.

GUPTA: OK, thanks.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.






Aired June 26, 2003 - 07:43   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: As many as 280,000 Americans are infected with the virus that causes AIDS and they don't know it. That is according to the Centers for Disease Control. A new test can determine whether a person has HIV. It can do it in just 20 minutes. And federal health officials are urging all Americans to take it.
In our "House Call" this morning from the CNN Center, Dr. Sanjay Gupta has a preview of tomorrow's national HIV testing day.

Sanjay -- good morning.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

Yes, some other numbers for you as well. Just under about a million people now with HIV in the United States, about 100 million people around the world.

Tomorrow is national HIV testing day. We're going to preview that for you by telling you about a test that's out there called OraQuick. It's is a 20-minute HIV test as you mentioned. This test has actually been around for few months, but they're finding it to be just as accurate as laboratory tests or really any other tests out there.

Now, the way that this test works simply, Daryn, it detects the antibodies in your blood. So, if you actually get just a little finger pick, a little bit of blood from your finger, you get that tested. About 20 minutes later, you'll get a result back. If you wait 20 minutes, you have 99.6 percent sensitivity in terms of your test result. If you wait 50 to 60 minutes, you get about a 100 percent, so a very good test.

One of the concerns, Daryn, for a long time, people not coming back to get their test results. A test like this, obviously, obviates some of that, and people are actually getting their test results right away.

Now, the drug itself, as you can see there, results in about 20 minutes. It has been around since November of 2002. You can't get it at your local drugstore yet, although you can get it 180,000 locations around the country -- hospitals, clinics and a lot of centers that offer counseling. But pretty promising.

Again, tomorrow, national HIV testing day, and encouraging people to get tested. The test won't work incidentally, Daryn, if it's within three months of when you think you may have been infected. You've got to wait until after three months. That's when enough of these antibodies actually build up in your blood. But if you're concerned, this is a good test for people.

KAGAN: But, it says federal officials are asking everyone to take it. That seems a bit ambitious, let's just say.

GUPTA: Yes, I don't think actually federal health officials are asking everyone to take it. They're encouraging people who think that they may be at risk of HIV/AIDS, you know, because of their high-risk behavior to go ahead and get tested. But I think that 200 or 300 million people are probably not going to get this test, but trying to increase the testing nonetheless -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Got it. Sanjay Gupta, we'll see you in the next hour. Thanks, Sanjay.

GUPTA: OK, thanks.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.