Arizona: New HIV Test Is Available at County Clinics

A new 30-minute HIV test available in five Maricopa County clinics is expected to increase the number of HIV cases discovered in Arizona. The Food and Drug Administration approved the OraQuick rapid blood test last November, and in May it became available for free to the public in five Phoenix clinics. The new test is confidential and 99.8 percent accurate with a low possibility of a false positive, said Mary McKeever, manager of HIV counseling and testing for the Maricopa County Department of Public Health. "We do expect the number of HIV cases to go up," McKeever noted. "It's good because that means we're reaching more high-risk people that wouldn't normally wait for the test results." For information on testing and locations, telephone 602-506-1678.

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