Information for People about to have the HIV Test
Clinic 275 offers an HIV test as part of a
sexual health check-up. This test is offered to everyone attending Clinic
275. When we offer the test, it does not necessarily mean that you are at
high risk of having HIV.
Before the test is performed, you should be
aware of the following issues. If you have any questions please ask your
doctor or health adviser.
What are HIV and AIDS?
- HIV means Human
Immunodeficiency Virus
- AIDS means Acquired Immune
Deficiency Syndrome.
HIV is present in the blood, semen and
vaginal fluids of people who are infected. Any person who has the virus
can pass it on by these fluids. A person who does not have the virus can
become infected by contact with these fluids.
People infected with HIV look and feel
healthy most of the time. However, the virus slowly damages the person's
immune system. This means they are less able to resist and recover from
infections. Eventually the person will get infections or illnesses that do
not usually affect people with healthy immune systems. A person has AIDS
when one of these illnesses occurs. Most people do not develop AIDS until
many years after infection with HIV.
The HIV test
Before the HIV test, you should to talk to
a doctor or health adviser to ask any questions you may have, and again
after you get the results. Blood will be taken from a vein in your arm for
the test and you will be asked to return to the clinic in 7 days for the
results.
The test detects HIV antibodies. These are
proteins made by the immune system after infection by HIV. Once a person
has been infected with HIV, the antibodies can be found in their blood for
the rest of their life.
It may take 3 months for antibodies to
develop after HIV first enters the body. Before 3 months, the test may
give a negative result, even though HIV is present. This 3 month period is
sometimes called the window period.
This means that if you want to know if you
were infected from a particular incident, you should have a test at least
3 months later.
Preparing for the results
After listening to your history, your
doctor will advise you about your risk of having HIV. If there is some
risk of a positive result, you might choose to prepare yourself for it by:
- returning to the Clinic for your results
on a day when you don’t have other work, educational or social
commitments,
- discussing the test and the forthcoming
results with someone you trust.
- planning what to do if the result is
positive: deciding where to go and who to tell.
- remembering that HIV is now a treatable
long-term condition, and there are many support services for people
living with HIV.
If the test result is negative
This means HIV antibodies were not detected
in your blood because:
- you have not been infected with HIV
or
- you have been infected recently and have
not yet made antibodies to HIV.
You should discuss the result with your
doctor or health adviser to work out which possibility applies to you.
The test may need to be repeated if you are
still in the window period. It is especially important to have a further
test 3 months after you are diagnosed with a sexually transmitted
infection (e.g. gonorrhoea), in case you were exposed to HIV at the time
you contracted the infection.
If the test result is positive
This means you have been infected with HIV,
and the virus will probably remain in your system for life.
All people who are HIV positive can infect
others:
- during unsafe sex
- when sharing needles and syringes
- by blood transfusion (in Australia,
blood has been tested for HIV since 1985)
- infected women can pass the virus to
their babies at birth and by breast milk.
HIV is not spread by coughing,
sneezing, sharing eating utensils, shaking hands, hugging or kissing.
People with HIV can stay healthy for many
years. Regular medical check-ups and drug treatments can reduce the
activity of HIV and prevent many AIDS-associated illnesses. In South
Australia, the death rate due to AIDS has fallen significantly in the late
1990s due to new treatments.
Issues to consider when having a test
If the test is negative, you are unlikely
to be infected unless infection occurred within the past 3 months. This
reassurance is of little value if you have unsafe sex or share needles
after taking the test.
If the test is positive, you have acquired
the infection, are infectious to others and may get AIDS. You should take
action to prevent infecting others and delay the onset of AIDS by
maintaining your health.
Choosing to have a test with an experienced
and supportive doctor or health worker will be less stressful than if
infection is found following an accident, or after admission to hospital
with an advanced HIV related illness.
The test result may encourage you to make
changes that will reduce your risk of infection in the future.
You may be concerned about confidentiality.
Be careful whom you tell about having the test, or the test results. Staff
will not tell your results to anyone outside the clinic.
You may be concerned that the test will
affect your chances of overseas travel or life insurance. Some insurance
companies require an HIV test or disclosure of risk factors before
accepting a policy. Some overseas embassies require an HIV test or
declaration of any infectious diseases before issuing a visa. The test
result may affect immigration procedures for those seeking permanent
residency in Australia.
Safe sex: preventing HIV transmission
Whether you decide to have the test or not,
practising safe sex will help prevent the spread of HIV.
Practise safe sex if there is any chance
either you or your partner could have HIV. It only takes one unsafe sexual
contact to pass on the virus.
Safe sex means being careful not to share
semen, blood or vaginal fluids. Whenever you have intercourse (vaginal or
anal), use a condom. Use it with a water-based lubricant (e.g. KY, Glyde).
Saliva is not a good lubricant.
If vaginal or anal intercourse is not
important, explore other sexual activities. Oral sex is usually a low risk
activity for transmitting HIV. The doctor or health adviser can give you
more information about the safety of sex practices.
Despite the best intentions, many unsafe
contacts happen when drugs or alcohol affects people’s judgements. If
you inject drugs, use sterile equipment, don't share, and practise safe
sex.
More safe sex information... |
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