不能治愈性传播疾病   Incurable STDs

如何诊断艾滋病？- HIV抗体检测2   How is it diagnosed? - HIV Antibody Test 2

HIV抗体检测的益处
无论这个检测结果是阳性还是阴性，知道自己是否感染了HIV自然大有益处：

1. 阴性结果落得一个安心；
2. 阳性结果首先有助于得到早期医学治疗，从而预防某些疾病症状进一步恶化。那些注定要出现的症状能够尽早得到治疗；
3. 阳性结果也对HIV/AIDS预防事业有益，自此以后，感染者能够避免感染他人。

HIV抗体检测相关的权益问题和预防问题
HIV抗体检测也引起一些与个人合法权益和预防相关的问题：

1. 隐私担忧：这些检测是保密的吗？去做HIV抗体检测者应该确保检测结果的保密性。在大多数国家，回答是肯定的。许多健康服务机构也为那些特别担心隐私问题者提供匿名检测。确实也存在着对阳性结果外泄的恐惧，这一结果一旦被雇主、邻居和熟人获悉，可能受到歧视。随着HIV抗体家庭检测箱的使用，保密性变得更困难了。这种检测方法可能引诱某些多事者在未经他人知情或同意的情况下，来检测他人的血液样本。在大多数国家里，这样的做法是违法的；因而，在有保护隐私法律条款的国家，这些法律条款必须严格地强制执行；还没有这些法律条款的国家，必须要立法。
    
2. 咨询服务问题：去做HIV抗体检测者也应该确保自己能够得到适当的咨询服务。甚至阴性结果也应该与专业咨询师讨论，以获得有关“安全性行为”指导和其他有关维护健康的知识。阳性结果可能会极大地打击和催垮获悉这一悲剧消息的当事人。对于这种情况，专家的劝慰和指导是必不可少的。获准开业的HIV抗体检测机构和许多AIDS防治机构已经专门针对一些特殊人员进行了培训，因为他们原先就能够详细解说医学知识和知道自己的服务对象可能在哪里寻求进一步的帮助。这些经过培训的咨询师也能够在最需要的时候为当事人提供感情支持（乐观地说，这种培训在发展中国家可能才起步，中国大陆有不多的预防和医疗机构已经有了这方面的服务，但尚未形成共识和规模——译者注）。甚至可以说，匿名电话咨询可能是正确的举措，已经证明这对许多寻求帮助的人是有益的。然而，其他的人则愿意面对一个活生生的咨询人员，直接获得认同、理解和帮助。
    
3. 想当然的预防观念：许多人错误的以为每隔一定的时间只要去做HIV抗体检测就能够保护自己不感染HIV。只要检测结果仍然是阴性，他们就想当然地认为没有什么可担心的。这种想法或做法是愚蠢的和危险的，因为与感染者的任何一次新的性接触都能够导致感染发生，而且很可能要花上数月时间才能够检测到HIV抗体。HIV抗体检测不能预防任何事情发生，只能告诉我们事情发生之后的实际结果。HIV抗体检测不能替代“安全的性行为”。

Advantages
Whether the test result is positive or negative, knowing one’s HIV status has its advantages:

1. A negative result brings emotional relief.
2. A positive result helps to get early medical treatment and thus to prevent some health problems from developing in the first place. Those problems that do appear can be treated early.
3. A positive result also serves the cause of prevention, since the patient can now avoid the infection of others.

Concerns
HIV antibody testing also raises some legitimate concerns:

1. Privacy: Are the tests confidential? People who take an HIV antibody test should make certain that the results remain confidential. This is assured in most countries. Many health services also offer anonymous testing for those with particularly strong privacy concerns. There is also a fear that a positive test result, once known to employers, neighbors, and acquaintances could lead to discrimination. Confidentiality has become harder to protect with the arrival of home testing kits. This could tempt some prying person to test other people’s blood samples without their knowledge or consent. This is against the law in most countries, and such laws must be strictly enforced where they exist. Where they do not yet exist, they must be put on the books.
    
2. Counseling: People who get tested should also make certain that they receive adequate counseling. Even a negative test result should be discussed with a knowledgeable counselor who can give individual advice about “safer sex” practices and other hints about staying healthy. A positive test result can greatly distress or even overwhelm the person receiving the news, and in this situation expert advice is essential. Approved testing sites and many AIDS organizations have specially trained counselors who can explain medical details and who know where their clients can find further help. They can also provide emotional support at a moment when it is most needed. This may even be true for anonymous telephone counseling, which has proven helpful to many who sought their advice. Others, however, prefer the empathy of a living person sitting right in front of them.
    
3. Prevention: Many people mistakenly believe that they can protect themselves against HIV infection by simply getting tested at regular intervals. They think they have nothing to worry about as long as test results remain negative. This is a foolish and dangerous notion, because any new sexual contact with an infected person can lead to an infection, and it can take months before a new test detects HIV antibodies. Tests cannot prevent anything; they can only tell you something after the fact. No test is a substitute for “safer sex”.