FAQ

This test is certainly reliable. The reliability of the test result is guaranteed in groups with a prevalence of HIV (the proportion of people living with HIV in this group) that is above 1%. Contact us if you have doubts as to whether you are eligible to take a reliable test as part of this project. It is important to acknowledge that the HIV test using oral fluid is less accurate than the latest HIV tests using blood samples, certainly for recent risky sexual contacts (within the past three months). If you are worried about a contact that occurred less than three months ago, we advise you to take an HIV test using a blood sample.

Take the swab out of the tube. Rub the swab over your upper and lower gums and the inside of your cheek for one minute. Don’t rub too hard, we do not need blood on the sample. Place the swab back in the tube. Try not to eat or drink anything for one hour prior to collecting the saliva. In theory, it could reduce the quality of the oral fluid sample.

This website was specifically designed for this project. The security and privacy of the participants were the researchers’ main concern. All that is required to create an account is a phone number and an email address. You don’t need to provide your name or address. You are identified by your randomly generated sample code. The sample code is linked to your account. This enables us to ensure that you can only pick up your own result once you have logged into your account (with your personal email address and password) and entered the correct sample code. More information on privacy and security can be found here. More information on privacy and security

HIV is not transmitted through oral fluid / saliva. This test doesn’t detect HIV viruses in oral fluid. It detects antibodies in the saliva. These antibodies are produced by the immune system when the HIV virus is present in one’s blood.

For each HIV-test, advantages and disadvantages can be identified. That is also the case for the swab2know test. Main advantages are the comfort for the participant, and the reliability of the test result. Some disaadvantages are the 'not-confirmed' test result, and the weaker relialibity of the test result for recent sexual risks. The test does not guarantee a reliable test result in case the participant is taking treatment for HIV-infection.

Some additional information on the advantages and disadvantages.

The main advantages are:

• Comfort for the participant: the package is sent to you, you self-collect the sample and you receive the result through a secured website;
• Reliability of the test: the test result is reliable for sexual risks op to three months prior to the sampling date. If you have taken sexual risks more recently, we cannot guarantee a 100% reliable test result.

The main disadvantages are:

• Test result is not ‘confirmed’: when you take a test with your GP, you only receive an HIV-positive test result if the reactive result from the screening test is confirmed by a second test. With the swab2know-test, you receive the result from the screening test, making a confirmation test necessary.
• The test doesn’t provide certainty for recent sexual risks: if you took sexual risks less than 3 months ago, a standard test on a blood sample provides a more reliable result.
• The test doesn’t guarantee a reliable result if the participant takes HIV-mediation. This test is solely intended for people who are unaware of their HIV-status.

For these reasons, we see our strategy as complementary to the existing strategies, not intended to replace these strategies (such as a test with a GP).

More information can be found here.