If you have sex, you should be getting test for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, on the regular. In reality, not enough of us do—or at least not as frequently as we should. That all might change, now, thanks to an over-the-counter take-home HIV test that was approved by the 17 members of the FDA in an unanimous vote today.
The OraQuick HIV test is really nothing more than a simple mouth swab—just like the one taken by bone marrow donors—with results returned in as little as 20 minutes. While it is not as reliable as professionally-administered diagnostics, the FDA is hopeful that OraQuick will set a new trend in expanding HIV testing and prevention.