Most HIV Early Intervention Services (EIS) sites offer oral HIV testing to consumers in addition to blood drawn testing.  Oral HIV antibody testing is available under the brand name OraSure. The OraSure test is a cheek swab (pictured above).  Samples are express mailed to Chatham Lab in Savannah and the results are available online—generally within three days.  The swab kit is easily transported and testing can be done virtually anywhere, leaving no biohazardous waste.  The test is FDA approved, includes both EIA Screen & Western Blot confirmatory testing, and is 99%+ accurate.

A limited number of  OraSure test kits are available to HIV EIS counselors at no charge.  See the FORMS section of this website for an OraSure Request form.  Most shipments arrive with a shelf life of at least 18 months.  While these kits are available to you free of charge, they are expensive.  Be sure to check the expiration date on your supplies.  If you have product that is about to expire, contact Marie Sutton at 404.874.4040 immediately so that arrangements can be made for another site to use the kits.

OraSure training is provided by Imagine Hope as part of the required HIV Prevention Counseling & Testing course.  It may also be available through your local Public Health Department or from another HIV EIS counselor.  For technical questions on OraSure, you may contact OraSure representative Elizabeth Ramirez at 484-553-6071.