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How It Works
Why should I get tested?
Young people who are having sex or injecting drugs are at a greater risk of getting HIV than they think. In the US, two young people every hour contract HIV. It is estimated that 100,000-200,000 American youth have HIV and most don't even know it. If your test reveals that you do have HIV, you can begin treatment that can prolong your life and greatly improve your long-term health. If your test shows that you are HIV negative, you will learn ways to stay negative from your testing counselor. Either way, you win by taking the test!
If I'm under 18, do I have to have my parents' permission to take the test?
In Connecticut, youth over the age of 14 can take the HIV test on their own, without their parent's permission.
What should I expect?
It is important to seek testing at a place that also provides counseling about HIV and AIDS. Counselors can answer any questions you might have about risky behavior and ways you can protect yourself and others in the future. In addition, they can help you understand the meaning of the test results and describe what AIDS-related resources are available in your local area. You should be given materials to read before you enter a private session with a counselor or doctor. He or she might ask why you want to be tested. Your counselor should also ask about your behavior and that of your sex and/or drug-using partner(s). This will help your counselor and you to determine whether testing is appropriate for you. If testing is appropriate, your counselor or doctor should:
- Describe the test and how it is done
- Explain AIDS and the ways HIV infection is spread
- Discuss ways to prevent the spread of HIV
- Explain the confidentiality of the test results
- Discuss the meaning of possible test results
- Ask what impact you think the test result will have on you
- Address the question of whom you might tell about your result
- Discuss the importance of telling your sex and/or drug-using partner(s) if the result indicates HIV infection.
If these questions are not covered, or if you have any other questions, ask them. You should come prepared with questions that have been on your mind. Also ask your doctor or counselor how you will be told of the test result. If your test result is negative, the post-test counselor will talk to you about how to avoid behaviors that will put you at risk.
What is the test like?
Today there are several ways to get tested for HIV. Tests that use urine or fluids from your mouth don't use needles, and are as accurate as tests that use needles to draw blood. With these tests, you rub a Q-tip-like swab around your mouth or provide a urine sample. But, blood tests are relatively painless and require less than a teaspoon of blood.
The tests commonly used to detect HIV infection actually look for antibodies produced by your body to fight HIV. HIV tests can identify HIV antibodies in the blood as early as two weeks after infection, but the body may take up to six months to make a measurable amount of antibodies. Most people will develop detectable antibodies within 3 months after infection, the average being 25 days. It is important, during the 6 months between exposure and the test, to protect yourself and others from further possible exposures to HIV.
- A seropositive result on an HIV test means that HIV antibodies are present in your bloodstream and you are HIV positive. The onset of AIDS may take up to 10 or more years. Drug treatments are available that can further delay the development of AIDS.
- A seronegative result usually indicates that you are not infected with HIV. However, you should be retested in six months if you have engaged in high-risk behavior during the past six months, because it can take this long for your immune system to produce enough antibodies.
How long does it take to have the test and to get the results back?
Generally it takes about half an hour to speak with a testing counselor and take an HIV test. It takes up to a week to get the results of your test.
Can I get AIDS from taking the test?
There is absolutely no danger of you getting HIV from taking an HIV test.
What's the difference between "confidential" and "anonymous" testing?
It is important for anyone having an HIV test to understand the confidentiality policies of the testing center. Testing facilities offer two types of test procedures: confidential and anonymous.
A "confidential" HIV test means that the medical professionals who handle your HIV test will keep the information about your test private with in your medical records. When you take a "confidential" HIV test, no one knows the results but you and your doctors. the results will not be shared with anyone else unless you give written permission.
An "anonymous" HIV test means that your name will not be used in connection with your test. Instead, a code or number is assigned to your test and you are given that code so that you can later get the results of your test. No records are kept that would link your name with your test. In Connecticut you can choose either "anonymous" or "confidential" testing.
HIV Test Results - what will happen if I find out that I am HIV-positive?
If you test positive for HIV, the sooner you take steps to protect your health, the better. Early medical treatment and a healthy lifestyle can help you stay well. Prompt medical care may delay the onset of AIDS and prevent some life-threatening conditions. There are a number of important steps you can take immediately to protect your health:
- See a doctor or other medical professional, even if you do not feel sick. Below is a list of medical professionals who have experience treating HIV. There are now many drugs to treat HIV infection and help you maintain your health. It is never too early to start thinking about treatment possibilities.
Bridgeport Area
Sandy Shipkowitz, Bridgeport Hospital, 203-384-3000, ext. 2892
Jose Latorre, Bridgeport Community Health Center, 203-696-3260, ext. 340
Susan Khalil, Southwest Community Health Center, 203-576-8368, ext. 245
Hartford Area
Nilda Fernandez , Connecticut Children's Medical Center, 860-545-7481
Carolynn Luce, Charter Oak Family Health Center, 860-550-7500, ext. 6600
Aric Schicor, Saint Francis Hospital, 860-714-5687
New Haven Area
Brian Forsyth, Yale AIDS CARE Program, 203-688-2475
Sostena Romano, Yale AIDS CARE Program, 203-688-6093
Ivette Becerra-Ortiz, Fair Haven Community Health Center, 203-777-7411
Tom Kidder, Hill Health Center, 203-503-3148
- Have a TB (tuberculosis) test done. You may be infected with TB and not know it. Undetected TB can cause serious illness, but it can be successfully treated if caught early.
- Smoking cigarettes, drinking too much alcohol, or using illegal drugs (such as cocaine) can weaken your immune system. There are programs available that can help you reduce or stop using these substances. There is much you can do to stay healthy. Learn all that you can about maintaining good health.
Informed Consent
You have the right to refuse any medical procedure, to be fully informed about it, and to agree to it. You should be asked to read a statement saying that you have been informed about the HIV-antibody testing procedure, you understand it, and you consent to have it done.
Waiting for the test results
This period of days can produce anxiety and tension. Some people decide during this time that they do not want to know their test result and never return to receive it. It is very important that you finish the process and find out the test result in spite of your anxiety.
It is also important that until you return for your result and post-test counseling you don't have unprotected sex or don't have sex at all and don't share needles. When your result arrives, you will be asked to return to the counseling and testing center to receive the information in person. Everyone tested should receive counseling, whether the result is positive or negative.
Counseling After the Test
Your counselor should tell you your result and, regardless of whether it is positive or negative, how to protect your health and the health of others. He or she will review methods to prevent the spread of HIV.
If your result is negative, your counselor may discuss retesting if, during the 6 months before your test, you engaged in any behaviors that might have infected you. You may be infected but your body may not yet have produced enough antibodies for the test to detect. Since it takes time for your body to develop antibodies, you may need to be retested.
If your test is positive, your counselor will tell you what this means for you. Any questions you have should be answered and your counselor will refer you for follow-up health care, support services, or further counseling.
The CDC National AIDS Hotline can answer questions about testing The Hotline numbers are 1-800-342-2437 (English), 1-800-344-7432 (Spanish), or 1-800-243-7889 (TTY). To find out testing sites in your area, click on the "Where to go" link below.
Sources:
Project ACCESS: Taking the Test: http://www.hivgettested.com/takingtest.html
CDC: HIV Counseling & Testing: Facts, Issues and Answers: http://thebody.com/cdc/counsel.html
Be a Force for Change: Resource Booklet: American Association for World Health World AIDS Day · December 1, 1998 : http://www.thebody.com/aawh/force/aawh09.html
Testing for HIV: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention November 30, 1998: http://www.thebody.com/cdc/faq/testingFAQ.html#four
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