In many places it is possible to be tested to find out if someone is infected with HIV. Many people prefer not to know and fear the reactions of others. However, it is important to know the truth. People who find they are infected with HIV can avoid passing on the virus to others. They can take good care of their health to delay the development of AIDS for as long as possible. They may have access to drugs that can delay AIDS. It is usually recommended that children are not tested unless both good counselling and anti-retroviral drugs are available. Young children can only be tested from the age of 18 months.
When people are first infected with HIV they will test negative for up to three months. This is called the ‘window period’. People are particularly infectious at this time.
It is very important that people are given time to agree to the test and to consider their options before they have an HIV test. A trained counsellor should help prepare them for the test and help them discuss the test results in confidence. The counsellor should encourage them to tell their partner about the result, however difficult this may be.
Discussion
- Is it helpful for people to know if they have HIV? Why might someone not want to be tested?
- What facilities are available in our area for HIV testing? Is there a cost involved? Is good counselling available, both before and after the test result is known? What should people do if there are no testing facilities in the local area?
- What sort of support could we give to our close friends or family members if they come to tell us they have just discovered they have HIV?
- What should employees do if an employer insists on them being tested if they want to continue working? What is their legal position?
- What should someone do if they think their partner has HIV but refuses to be tested?
- Consider the situation of a healthy four-year-old girl whose parents died from AIDS. The child, with her two brothers, is being well cared for by her grandmother. What might be the advantages of testing the child for HIV? What might be the disadvantages?
- How might people feel if their test is negative and they are not infected with HIV? How can they make sure they continue to avoid infection?
- The ‘window period’ means that in the first three months after infection people will test negative. If they know they are at risk, they should be tested again three to four months later. How can we help people to understand this?
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