Getting tested for HIV

Getting tested for HIV

What are the reasons to get tested for HIV?

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, getting tested for HIV

There are a number of important reasons to be tested for HIV. For those who think they may have been exposed to the virus, having a test and receiving a negative result (which means they are not infected with HIV), can put their mind at rest.

• A person who tests positive will at some point need to take antiretroviral treatment to slow down the virus and maintain a healthy immune system. The longer a person remains unaware of their infection, the less likely it is that the treatment will work. Doctors can monitor an HIV positive person’s health in order to provide the right treatment regimen at the right time.
• If a person is aware of their HIV infection they can take steps to protect other people. They can practice safer sex and inform previous sexual partners that they may have been at risk of infection.
• Those who test positive who were thinking of starting a family can learn about ways to protect their child from becoming infected with HIV through mother-to-child transmission.

What does an HIV test involve?

In most countries, HIV testing is provided in a number of places, such as health clinics, doctor’s surgeries and specialist HIV/AIDS voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) sites. When someone attends a testing site they will usually see a doctor, trained counsellor, nurse or other health professional in private. He or she will explain what the test involves and what the result means.

Either a blood sample (taken from the arm) or an oral fluid sample will be taken, depending on the type of test used at the site. The test is always strictly confidential and only goes ahead if the person agrees to it. Personal doctors are not told about the test without the person’s permission. Depending on the test used, it can take anything from minutes, to days, to weeks, for the results.

When should someone get an HIV test?

A standard antibody test (see above) looks for HIV antibodies in a person’s blood. These antibodies can take up to three months from the time of infection to appear, and so for an accurate HIV test, a person should wait three months since the time of suspected infection. Some test centres may recommend testing again at six months, as in very rare cases it can take this long to develop antibodies. However, in most cases it is not necessary.

It is important to note that although antibodies may take a while to appear, as soon as a person becomes infected with HIV they can transmit the virus on to others.