10-Minute AIDS Test Found Accurate

A 10-minute test accurately shows whether a person has HIV, much quicker than the standard four hours, according to a study in today’s issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine. Researchers hope it will help get more people who test positive into counseling. “Rapid tests . . . could make a big difference in controlling this worldwide epidemic,” said study author Dr. Kathleen Irwin of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Faster test results would lead to almost immediate counseling for patients found to have the human immunodeficiency virus, which causes AIDS.