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HIV antibody testing

from: YOUNG EAGLES’ CHALLENGE: A Peer Education Training Manual for First Nations Youth on HIV/AIDS and Related Issues

HIV Antibody testing involves having a blood test done. Even making the decision to go get tested can be hard for some people, especially if they feel they have taken risks where they could have caught HIV. Getting tested has many benefits, a key one is that it clears up any doubt for whether you have HIV or not. This is sometimes called a baseline test when it is your first test. This means that at that point in time, the results of the test can give you a clean bill of health or confirm whether you have HIV. The next most important benefit of HIV antibody testing is really the counseling you should get from the professional (Doctor/Nurse) doing the test. Sadly, these professionals may only ask a few questions of you rather than take the time needed to "educate" you on the disease, what test results mean, and what risks you may be taking and whether you need to think of making changes to your risk behaviors. Having a test done for HIV antibodies provides you with sound results, unless you are in the window period, which can be up to three months after being exposed to HIV. During the window period, you can still infect others if you have HIV and the antibodies will not show up in blood tests until later.

Not everybody needs to be tested for HIV, for example, if two people have been married for many years and have never cheated on each other, then it is unlikely they would need an HIV antibody test. But this scenario is not always true, because some partners may cheat on the other or be involved in risky drug use, increasing risk for all involved, including unborn children that come about during a pregnancy. HIV antibody testing is an excellent way, for when a person meets a new sexual partner, to openly talk about taking risks. You can talk about going for the test together and sharing the test results BEFORE you both decide to not use protection. Building and earning trust is important before you decide to put your life and health at risk.

Some reasons for being tested can be:

1. I need to know what my risks are;

2. I need to know if I have HIV;

3. I need to stay healthy;

4. I need to protect myself and others;

5. I need to not get infected;

6. I need to not infect others if I do have HIV.

Some people feel it is important to know your risks BEFORE you go for a test, however, if someone is sexually active or possibly taking others risks, it is always useful to go for a test just to confirm that you do not have HIV and to better understand if you are taking risks. Nobody will know whether you are tested or what the results will be, unless you tell someone. If you do tell someone you want to get tested or are worried that you took risky behaviors, it is important to think carefully about who you might tell. Some people also refuse to go for testing but continue to be sexually active and take other risks.

You might want the following when you go for a test:

· someone you feel you can trust;

· someone who will not judge you;

· someone who will not repeat what you say; and

· someone who knows something about HIV/AIDS so they can support you.

This could be a teacher, someone on the Steering Committee, a brother or sister, or a friend. It could even be the Peer Educator.

There are three different types of HIV tests: Nominal, Non-nominal and Anonymous. Nominal is another word for name. So the three types are really only how records are taken by the medical people. Nominal means they place your name on the forms and can trace your identity. Nonnominal means they do not use your name and place a coded number instead, to protect your identity. Anonymous means they do not ask your name at all, and use a file number, which means they cannot identify your true identity. Many clinics offer little or no pre or post test counselling (especially in the isolated communities) which is a very important part of the process when someone goes for a HIV test.

Here is basically what should happen when you go for a HIV test:

· A Doctor or Nurse can take the blood sample either at your Doctor's office, the hospital or a specific place set up for HIV testing, like an Anonymous testing site which could be set up at an Aboriginal AIDS Service Organization or health clinic.

· Depending on where you go, you may get more counselling than other testing sites. There are two types of counselling called pre and post-test counselling. This means before and after the test.

· Before the test is taken and after you make your appointment, the person who will take your blood sample by a needle, should ask some questions on how much you know about HIV, what you feel your risks were, and what you will do when the results come back negative or positive. This helps you to understand why you need or do not need a test. For example, if you have not taken any high risks, then they may feel you do not need a test. It is your right to insist on a test to confirm that you do not have HIV.

· It could take 2-4 weeks for results to come back. They send the blood to a Lab and this will show if HIV antibodies are in your blood stream. If they do show the antibodies, they will do a second test to double check using a different type.

· Post-test counselling (after your blood test) is to help you understand the results and to also listen to your questions and worries. Whatever the test result, good counselling helps you know basic things and especially what to do with the information.

· ‹ If need be, they can set up referrals to Support Agencies or HIV

· Specialists who can help you when you get your test results back.

What are the HIGHEST RISK behaviors for HIV/AIDS?

· Sharing injection drug needles, that have not been cleaned with a bleach and water mixture;

· Unprotected anal and/or vaginal sex;

· Some tattooing, if the tools have not been cleaned with bleach and water mix;

· Some piercing, if the tools have not been cleaned with bleach and water mix;

· sharing snorting equipment, with someone who has HIV to snort drugs up the nose;

· sharing any medical equipment that is exposed to blood or body fluids;

· any activity with direct blood contact that may have got inside you.

Being tested for HIV gives you knowledge, and that knowledge means power to control and make your own decisions in the future!!! Most types of HIV antibody tests are very accurate. Sometimes, though, results could get mixed up or other things might affect results. For example, in some cases, people who get a flu shot around the same time

they go for an HIV antibody test might have their test results come out HIV-positive, but the results could be wrong. This would be an example of a false positive.

HIV TEST RESULTS CAN BE:

· POSITIVE: This means that you have HIV in your blood and body fluids and can infect others or you are HIV-positive.

· NEGATIVE: This means that there is no HIV in your blood or body fluids, so you do not have HIV or are HIV-negative.

· FALSE POSITIVE: This means that the blood test results might show up as positive but that it was a wrong result. It rarely happens, but some tests can be wrong. If you ever have a positive test result, it is useful to have another test done to be sure.

· FALSE NEGATIVE: This also means the blood test results are wrong. It can show up as negative, meaning you are ok, but in reality you do have HIV. This is why it is important to use protection if you are going to take risky behaviors. A window period could be why no antibodies show up, as described below.

On the other hand, when someone has come in contact with HIV, it takes awhile before the antibodies show up in your blood. This is called the "window period", meaning you had contact with HIV and were infected, but the antibodies have not shown up yet. The window period is usually about 6 to 12 weeks after being infected with HIV. During this time your blood test results could show up HIV-negative. This would be an example of a false negative. During the window period, you can infect others if you have HIV.