HIV TESTING FAQ

Would I know if I had HIV?
Who should be tested for HIV?
Why should I get tested for HIV?
Where can I be tested?
What can I expect when I get tested?
What if the results are negative?
What if the results are positive?
Why do I need to sign a consent form and have counseling when I get tested?
What happens to the results of my test?
What is the Name Reporting/Partner Notification Law?
What is the difference between confidential and anonymous testing?

Would I know if I had HIV?
You wouldn’t know until you got tested. HIV does not announce itself. There is no one symptom. A person can be infected for many years before having any symptoms at all.

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Who should be tested for HIV?
HIV testing is for everyone. Recent guidelines from the Centers of Disease Control recommend that everyone between the ages of 13 and 64 get tested regularly for HIV – regardless of risk.

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Why should I get tested for HIV?
In the case of HIV, information is power – an HIV test is the ONLY way to know for sure. People with HIV may not feel sick for many years, but once symptoms develop, the disease has already caused damage in the body, and treatments don’t work as well. An HIV test can catch the disease early, when medical treatment has the best chance of success.

Also, people who don’t know they have HIV can spread it to others. Your loved ones are depending on you to know for sure.

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Where can I be tested?
At AIDS Community Health Center, rapid testing is done by appointment. Call 244–9000 to make an appointment or get more information.

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What can I expect when I get tested?
An HIV test is quick, simple, confidential – and FREE. When you get to AIDS Community Health Center, a trained HIV testing counselor will give you information about the test, an explanation of the consent form, and offer general HIV/AIDS information and counseling. They will ask you about your relationship history and discuss other risk factors you may have.

The counselor will then administer the simple test, using a single finger prick. Your results will be available in as little as 20 minutes. The counselor will then give you your results, and provide you with more information about staying healthy. The entire testing process will take approximately 20 minutes.

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What if the results are negative?
If you test negative, it means you are not infected with HIV. Learn how to stay negative and prevent HIV. Since it may take up to 3 months for HIV antibodies to be detected by the test, a re–test in 3–6 months may be recommended if you have been recently exposed.

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What if the results are positive?
Even though the rapid test is correct 98% of the time, if the results are positive, you will be given a confirmatory blood test at the on–site laboratory. It will take approximately 3 – 5 days for results of the confirmatory test to come back. If the confirmatory test comes back positive, it means you are infected with HIV.

You can live well with HIV if you get good medical care right away. New medications are more powerful, and easier to take than ever. At AIDS Community Health Center, we can work out a treatment plan that is right for you, and help you learn how to protect yourself and others.

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Why do I need to sign a consent form and have counseling when I get tested?
For one thing, it’s the law in New York State. But there are other reasons for the consent form – the consent form protects you:

• It reassures you that you cannot be tested unless you give permission.
• It keeps HIV testing voluntary – HIV testing is your choice.
• It makes sure you get information about testing, what the results mean, and the need for repeat testing, if applicable.

What happens to the results of my test?
They are kept confidential. It’s the law in New York State. You are the only person who can give permission to give your test results to anyone else. We can help you decide whom to tell and when, if necessary.

In New York State, the decision about whom to tell is yours. There are a few exceptions to this. For example, we must report any positive test results to the NY State Health Department. See the Q&A below about Name Reporting/Partner Notification.

We may also notify the following organizations or doctors about your HIV status:

• Your health insurance provider or Medicaid.
• Another doctor who is providing medical care to you.

What is the Name Reporting/Partner Notification Law?
In 2000, HIV infection (being HIV–positive) became a reportable disease in New York State. In the past, only the disease AIDS was reported by name – being HIV positive was not.

This new Public Health Law says that this reporting must be done by name. The reasons for this law are:

• It encourages the person testing positive to tell other people who have been exposed through sex or needles so that they can be tested for HIV also.
• It allows the Health Department to track the HIV epidemic, so that they can give funding and prevention education to the people who need it most.

What is the difference between confidential and anonymous testing?
AIDS Community Health Center uses confidential testing, which uses your real name. This testing is presently provided free of charge. Your test results are kept confidential, which means that we cannot give those test results to anyone else unless you give us permission in writing.

Anonymous testing is done only by the state health department and does not use your name when you are tested. Instead of a name, the health department uses a number or code to identify you. For more information on anonymous testing, call the NY State Health Department at 585–423–8081.

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