HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. An HIV infection weakens the body's immune defences by destroying CD4 (T-cell) lymphocytes, which are white blood cells that protect us against attacks by bacteria, viruses and other harmful pathogens. When these white blood cells are destroyed or weakened, they will no longer able to defend the body effectively against infections. This increases the risk of severity of some common diseases and conditions, as well as a higher risk of getting some cancers.

With advancements in science, early and effective treatment can suppress the viral load, allowing a person living with HIV (PLHIV) to lead a life no different from others. If someone infected with HIV does not seek effective treatment early enough, their immune system can become weak. The disease then progresses to a condition called Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). This is the most advanced stage of HIV; it can take up to 10 years to develop into AIDS. Without treatment, people with AIDS can be susceptible to opportunistic infections and become very ill.

HIV/AIDS is one of many sexually transmitted infections (STI). Click here to find out more about other types of STIs.

Usually, an HIV-infected person may not notice any symptoms. However, some people may experience the following symptoms:

• tiredness
• weight loss
• prolonged fever
• night sweats
• skin rash
• persistent diarrhoea
• lowered resistance to infections

The only way to be sure of your HIV status is to go for a test. Every adult at the age of 21 years and above should get tested for HIV at least once in their lifetime, which is based on the National HIV Programme HIV Testing Recommendations by the National Centre for Infectious Diseases.

You should get tested if:

• you have engaged in any sexually risky behaviour in the past, such as having multiple or casual sexual partners, not using condoms consistently, or being serviced by commercial sex workers
• you are not sure of your partner's sexual history, or when there is a change of your sexual partner
• you had yourself pierced or tattooed at an unhygienic or unlicensed parlour, or when there is sharing of needles or sharps
• you had a blood transfusion or an operation performed overseas, where blood testing regulatory requirements may not be stringent

This list is by no means exhaustive. If you feel you may be at risk, getting screened for HIV is the crucial first step to knowing your HIV status. Get yourself tested more frequently (or every 3 to 6 months) if you are engaging in any sexually risky behaviour. Knowing your status enables you to receive treatment early and prevent others from getting infected.

You can get yourself tested for STIs or HIV/AIDS at most GP (General Practitioner) clinics, polyclinics, and hospitals in Singapore. Most clinics offer routine HIV screening services, while some also offer rapid HIV testing. Rapid HIV tests produce very quick results. In approximately 20 minutes, you may be able to know your HIV status. To learn which clinics offer rapid test services, click here.

If you prefer anonymity, there are clinics in Singapore that offer anonymous HIV rapid tests. No identifiable information will be taken during anonymous testing. Instead, a number not linked to your identity is assigned to the test. This allows one to receive either a negative or a positive test result without revealing their identity. Please see the table below for the list of Anonymous Testing clinics. You can identify them easily by looking out for this icon too:

An HIV infection causes the body to produce antibodies, which is an immunological response by the body to fight the infection. These antibodies can be picked up by HIV tests to indicate the presence of an HIV infection in the person. There are two main ways in which this can be done. Typically, a conventional laboratory-based blood test is administered and the results are made available 2 weeks later.

Since 2007, the Ministry of Health has approved a second method of detecting HIV infections through the use of rapid HIV test kits in clinics for screening. Results of rapid tests can be out in less than 20 minutes. If the rapid test reveals a positive result for HIV, a confirmatory laboratory blood test is required, which involves drawing of a small tube of blood by the doctor.

Currently, there are rapid HIV test kits registered and available at most hospitals and clinics in Singapore.

As with all other screening tests, a positive result needs to be confirmed further by a conventional full blood test, which uses specialised laboratory testing to detect the virus accurately.

The rapid HIV test kits are not currently approved for home use or self-administration in Singapore. The test must be performed and the results interpreted by a trained personnel.


What are the advantages of a rapid HIV test?
The advantages of the rapid HIV test when compared to the conventional blood tests are:

• No blood sample is needed. A quick needle prick or an oral swab is sufficient
• The results are known usually within 10-20 minutes, hence the anxiety associated with a long waiting period is avoided

Does a negative result confirm that I am not infected?
Following infection with HIV, it can take up to 3 months for the antibodies to develop before they can be detected by the rapid test kits. A rapid HIV test performed during this 3-month "window period" may not be able to detect an infection. A second test needs to be performed 3 months after the first test to confirm the result.

What happens if the test result is positive?
If the result of the rapid HIV screening test is positive, it could indicate that you have been infected with HIV. You will require a confirmatory blood test to confirm the result.

What if the confirmatory blood test result is positive too?
HIV is treatable and PLHIV can still lead a normal life with treatment. If you need support, there are care and support services available for people living with HIV. To find out more, visit Action for AIDS.