Important to know:

1. Nowadays, being HIV-positive is no longer a death sentence. If you find out early that you got infected, you can quickly start with the treatment and, if successful minimise the viral load to the point of becoming undetectable and as a result even protect others from the dangers of an infection (Treatment as Prevention / U=U).
2. A non-reactive* (≙ negative) self-test is 100% safe. Rarely occurring reactive test results do NOT equal definitive positive test results and as such must be confirmed. A reactive test result may simply be a false positive. For a rapid test only the antibodies are tested, which means a positive result must be confirmed by a Western blot (confirmation test). You can do the confirmation test at our checkpoint (info: heinfiete.de/test) or at CASAblanca or at your doctor‘s.
3. The diagnostic window** of a self-test is 12 weeks! For a normal lab test, which we offer Tuesdays and Thursdays (anonymous and free of charge), the diagnostic window is only 6 weeks. The self-test is in fact a rapid test; you get the result very fast (usually within 5-20 minutes).
4. The incorrect application of self-/ rapid tests can lead to inaccurate results. Always follow the enclosed instructions carefully.

* Reactive/ non-reactive: reactive is synonymous with  a positive and non-reactive with a negative test result. Positive and negative however, are diagnoses that we cannot make with the rapid test.
**Diagnostic window: Time after a risky situation until the infection can be detected in the blood.

By law, we, as employees of Hein & Fiete, are not allowed to help you with administering the self-test. What we can do is explain how the test is correctly applied.

We only sell the EXACTO® self-test, for €18,-. Since this self-test is recommended by the German AIDS-Foundation, it also carries its logo.
Features of the EXACTO® are: 99.9% reliability, easy application with only one drop of blood, and a fast result within 10 minutes.

This self-test (together with two alternative self-tests) is also sold in pharmacies and drugstores.