The Area 7 HIV program of the Florida Department of Health in Orange County is now offering free at-home HIV testing kits to Central Florida.
Residents of Orange, Osceola, Seminole, and Brevard counties can request a kit by visiting Talk Test Treat Central Florida. The self-administered kit will be mailed to individuals at no cost and comes with step-by-step instructions, the oral testing swab, and test tube. The test is confidential and follow up by Area 7 HIV staff is optional.
The at-home HIV test allows individuals to test themselves for HIV without sending a sample to a lab for analysis or visiting a clinic. Designed for home use, the test kit is the same test healthcare professionals have used for years and provides preliminary results in just 20 minutes.
With early diagnosis, individuals can begin appropriate treatment and care resulting in better health outcomes. Studies have shown that providing antiretroviral therapy as early as possible after diagnosis improves a patient’s health, reduces transmission, and can eventually lead to undetectable HIV viral loads.