HIV TESTING

HIV test is a simple blood or saliva test (in cases you use self test) used to find out if a person has been infected with HIV. The HIV test looks for antibodies to the virus. Antibodies are proteins the body produces in reaction to the infection. The “window period” is the time it takes for the body to produce these antibodies and this varies from person to person, but the majority of people will produce enough antibodies for an HIV test to show a positive result within 3 months of being infected.

Regular testing is important for several reasons. Some individuals are at a greater risk of HIV infection and should test more frequently. People who have unprotected sex with multiple partners, people who share injection drug equipment, people who have been diagnosed with or have been treated for a sexually transmitted disease are all at greater risk of HIV infection and should be tested more often. The list of groups of people at risk is not necessarily limited the ones listed above. Some may want to consider an HIV test every 3-6 months as per the advice of the testing personnel post testing. Those who have had a recent HIV exposure should also consider repeated testing. An HIV negative result on an antibody test does not necessarily mean that one is not infected with HIV if the test was taken within 3 months of possible exposure. This is where window period issues come into play. The “window period” is the time it takes for the body to produce these antibodies and this varies from person to person, but the majority of people will produce enough antibodies for an HIV test to show a positive result within 3 months of being infected. In general, a person should consider getting an HIV test whenever they have had a risk of HIV infection.

‘Testing can wait.’ Some people believe that they should not go for an HIV test unless they are ill. This is a myth. Knowing your status early will give you peace of mind. If you are not infected, you can take steps to ensure that you will not become infected in the future. If you are already infected, early knowledge of HIV status will allow you to make decisions to take care of your health. Doing regular HIV testing will help you receive the proper care and treatment in the earliest time possible, thus reducing the damage done to the body. Early knowledge of positive HIV status can also prevent transmission of infection to other people. Another myth is ‘I always play safe and I am sure I am not infected.’ There is no fool-proof method of safe sex other than total abstinence from any sexual activity. Always taking all precautions in sex is not a reason for not doing an HIV test. Sometimes accidents happen. A broken condom, slipped needle, sexual assault, being drunk, or even influenced by sexual drugs are some of the examples where one can be exposed to the risk of HIV infection. Often we are in denial and think that it will not happen to us. The fact is, more than half of the people diagnosed with HIV each year claimed that they thought they were not at risk. Anyone who has ever engaged in any of the risk behaviors in the past should consider HIV testing to be certain of their status. Now, people who are aware of someone else’s HIV positive status should do HIV testing even more. The safest sex is sex between two people, each of whom only has sex with each other and both being uninfected, of which is not a given, it is almost impossible to know that you are not being cheated