HIV POC Testing

Rapido is a peer-to-peer setting staffed by trained peer HIV POC testers and a sexual health nurse, the clinic also offers a full sexual health screen.

Location: 57 Hyde Street, Adelaide.

Rapido is open twice a week – on Monday evenings 4pm to 7pm and Friday evenings 4pm to 7pm. Rapido is closed on public holidays. Please note: Rapido will be closed on Monday 15 May 2017.

For an appointment telephone (08) 7099 5300 or drop-in during opening hours.

Clinic 275 is a public sexual health clinic that offers HIV POC testing in addition to its existing suite of sexually transmissible infection (STI) services at its walk-in clinic.

Location: 275 North Terrace, Adelaide.

Walk-in clients are welcome Mondays and Fridays: 9.00 am to 4.30 pm, Tuesdays and Wednesdays: 11.00 am to 6.30 pm and Thursdays: 1.00 pm to 4.30 pm.

For further information regarding Clinic 275 services telephone (08) 8222 5075.

The O’Brien Street General Practice is a general practice that offers HIV POC testing to current and new clients.

Location: 17 O’Brien Street, Adelaide.

The practice is open Monday to Friday, 9.00 am to 5.00 pm. Appointments are required and can be made by telephoning (08) 8231 4026.

An HIV POC test involves finger-prick sampling with the Trinity Uni-Gold™ HIV device, along with confirmatory HIV testing and a full sexual health screen.

Standard HIV antigen-antibody testing will be offered to all participants. Reactive tests will be confirmed by Western Blot, which may be available by the next business day.

The HIV POC test detects antibodies that develop within three months after exposure to HIV. Standard HIV antigen-antibody testing is more likely to detect infection during seroconversion, the time during which a person first develops antibodies for HIV. Either test should be repeated 12 weeks after a high-risk exposure.

If you might have had a recent exposure to HIV, contact the 24 hour a day HIV Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) hotline – Telephone 1800 022 226.

The HIV POC testing demonstration project aims to provide safe and welcoming places to have an HIV test, increase HIV testing in at-risk communities and ensure people living with HIV have early access to care and treatment.

This project will evaluate three different ways of delivering HIV POC testing to the community. It will provide an important opportunity to:

• evaluate the impact of the HIV POC test on frequency of HIV testing among higher prevalence populations
• monitor sexual risk of those who undergo HIV POC testing
• explore the acceptability of the HIV POC testing models across the three settings where it is offered.

The demonstration project is being evaluated by the MacFarlane Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health.

HIV POC tests are expected to perform well in higher prevalence populations and should not be used in individuals at low-risk of HIV, due to risk of false positive results.