Incurable STDs - Infections

How is it diagnosed? - HIV Antibody Test 2

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

• A negative result brings emotional relief.
• 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.
• 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:

• 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.
   
• 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.
   
• 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”.