1. Why Get Tested?

If you have been tested and know you are infected, you can take steps to protect your health and the health of others. Even though there is no cure for HIV infection, there are clear benefits to early treatment, including medications that may help slow the infection and delay or prevent life threatening conditions.

2. I think I recently placed myself at risk of infection with HIV. Should I get counseled and tested right away?

If you are infected with HIV, it can take anywhere from 2 weeks to 6 months to make enough antibodies for the test to measure. If you think you placed yourself at risk for HIV infection, you should get counseling, and you should protect others as if you were infected.

3. What is the HIV test and how much does counseling and testing cost?

The most commonly used tests measure HIV antibodies. The ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) test takes only a few hours, and is extremely sensitive in identifying the virus. If the results of the ELISA are positive, most testing procedures confirm the result by the use of another antibody test known as a Western Blot. Together the two tests are more than 99.9% accurate.
Most publicly funded testing sites are free or require only a minimum fee. If you go to your doctor for counseling and testing, the cost may vary. Call beforehand and ask what a particular site charges.

4. Where can I be tested?

The different counseling and testing options include publicly funded HIV testing centers, community health clinics, sexually transmitted disease, (STD) clinics, family planning clinics, hospital clinics, drug treatment facilities, TB clinics, and your doctor's office. In making your choice you may want to consider if there is a health care facility where you feel comfortable with the staff, if the center can provide immune system monitoring, and HIV medical care, and if they offer counseling, testing, and help for addiction at a drug treatment facility besides HIV counseling.
You can call the CDC National AIDS Hotline, (1-800-342-AIDS) to get the addresses of places that offer counseling and testing. State by State listing of HIV / AIDS Hotlines

5. If I'm pregnant or thinking about having a baby, should I be counseled and tested?

If you have engaged in behaviors that can transmit HIV, you should get counseling and testing. IF you are HIV-positive, and do not receive treatment, there is a one in four chance that you will pass the virus to your baby. If you are already pregnant, you should tell your health care provider you tested positive. This will help your provider care for you and your baby during and after pregnancy.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC) recommends that all pregnant women be counselled and offered testing for HIV in order to reduce the risk of peri natal transmission. Administering AZT, and anti-viral drug to pregnant women infected with HIV can reduce the risk of transmission by two thirds.

Infection among infants and children can occur during pregnancy or delivery or through breast feeding. Administering AZT, an anti-viral drug, to HIV positive pregnant women and to their newborns can reduce the risk of transmission by two-thirds. CDC recommends that all pregnant women be counseled and offered and HIV test. If positive, they can receive AZT to reduce the risk of peri natal transmission. Guidelines for counseling and testing of pregnant women and for administering AZT are available from CDC's National AIDS Clearinghouse.

6. How Confidential is the Testing

Most counseling and testing centers follow one of two policies:

Confidential testing - The confidential testing site records your name with the test result. They will keep your record secret from everybody except medical personnel or, in some states, the state health department. You should ask who will know the result and how it will be stored. If you have your HIV antibody test done confidentially you can sign a release from to have your test result sent to your doctor.

Anonymous testing - (not available in all states) - No one asks your name. You are the only one who can tell anyone else your test result.

7. Will my insurance agency, employer, or parents find out?

Your insurer will know if you took the test, if you pay for the test through insurance, but can only find out your test results if you release them. On some insurance forms, your signature authorizes release of medical records. If you are concerned, do not sign medical release forms unless you know their purpose. You may also choose to be counseled and tested at a facility separate from your health care provider, such as a publicly funded testing site, a sexually transmitted disease clinic, or a family planning clinic. Call your health department, or the CDC National AIDS Hotline - 1-800-342-AIDS to find out the nearest facility that offers confidential counseling and testing. (State by State Listing of HIV / AIDS Hotlines)

8. My partner tested negative. That means I'm not infected, right?

Your partner's test does not always tell your status. The only way to know whether you are infected is to have your own test.

9. Can I continue to work if I have HIV infection?

Yes, you can continue working if you have HIV infection. Many people have no symptoms, and continue to work productively for many years after being infected - it depends on your health.

10. How can I find a doctor who will treat me?

Call your local medical society. They should be able to refer you to a doctor who will help you. For additional help, you can contact a local AIDS organization. The people there, may be able to help you find a doctor who is experienced with HIV and AIDS related issues. For the Telephone numbers of these organizations call the CDC National AIDS Hotline - 1-800-342-AIDS; for Spanish : 1-800-344-7342 ; Deaf Access 1-800-243-7889 (TTY).

11. What happens after testing? If I am positive? If I am negative?

If your test result is negative, you are "seronagative". This usually means that you are not infected. You should be retested , if during the 6 months prior to your test, you engaged in risky behavior. You may have tested negative only because your body may not yet have produced enough antibodies for the test to detect. Your post-test counselor will discuss this with you as well as steps you should take to protect your health and the health of your sex and / or drug using partner.

A positive test result means antibodies to HIV were found in your blood, meaning you are HIV positive, or "seropositive". You will most likely develop AIDS, although no one can predict when.  If you treat HIV early, you may delay the onset of AIDS and prevent life-threatening conditions. Talk it over with a counselor. He/she will better help you to know what to expect and how to deal with your personal circumstances.

12. When is National HIV Testing Day?

June 27, is National HIV Testing Day. This day is an opportunity to promote HIV testing and counseling at the grassroots level. For more information, contact: The National Association of People With AIDS, 1413 K Street, NW 7th Floor, Washington, DO 20005. Telephone - (202)-898-0414

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