I don't have a problem with home testing per se --...

2006-01-13T03:27:00.000-07:00

I don't have a problem with home testing per se -- there are people for whom home testing is the only viable option to not getting tested at all, which is *never* the smartest option. And I can honestly say "I'd rather know I had HIV than just not know" since I actually did know I had HIV -- even though I didn't really have it.

It's not my place to judge home testers; I only hope they get accurate results and competent counselling right away whenever they do, in fact, test positive for HIV, as some of them inevitably will.

I *do* have a problem with any particular test that is exceptionally likely to give home testers potentially devastating false positive results.

My problem, then, specifically, is with the OraQuick ADVANCE Rapid HIV-1/2 Antibody Test being considered by the FDA for home use. Its actual EIA specificity (i.e., the percentage of false positives resulting from all uses of the test) is too far out of range -- not only of what OraSure fraudulently claims it is (.002%) -- but of the FDA's baseline requirements for tests administered in controlled clinical settings to *ever* be used safely at home.

The specifity requirements of home tests need to be higher, not lower, than those for clinical tests; and the exceptionaly high percentages of false positives resulting from the OraQuick test should put its standing even as a clinical HIV test in question.

I noticed that about the google ads. They're funny that way. It's posted some really appropriate ads a few times (and some glaringly inappropriate ones once or twice), but otherwise doesn't seem able to extract enough content from my writing to come up with anything better than ads for sites about blogging. I think I could configure it to be smarter but don't really want to spend a lot of time on that.

There's little if any danger of anyone ordering the kits through the links on my blog. I've been using AdSense since May and 1,935 page views later, only one person has ever clicked on a link.

My click-through rate is therefore about in line with what EIA specificity should be for home HIV tests. :)

What sad irony! Your posts about the dangers of h...

2006-01-12T08:19:00.000-07:00

What sad irony! Your posts about the dangers of home HIV testing have apparently prompted Google to insert ads for ... home HIV testing. At least, hopefully, people will read what you have to say before clicking on the links and ordering the kits.

Comments on Random Musings, Cont'd.: Suggestions for false positives.

I don't have a problem with home testing per se --...

What sad irony! Your posts about the dangers of h...