HIV Testing

Each year, an estimated 56,300 Americans are newly infected with HIV - in part because 25 percent of the more than one million Americans who are believed to be living with HIV don't even know they are infected.

HIV testing is a key component in controlling the spread of HIV infection. For those who test positive for HIV, awareness can help them take steps to protect their own health and that of their partners - thus avoiding further transmission.

For those testing negative, the testing process is an opportunity to get informed and take action to avoid risks and stay uninfected.

Overview

Everyone should know their HIV status, and the only way to know is to get tested for HIV. While there are symptoms of HIV, those systems are also associated with other types of illness. Because some behaviors increase individual risk for HIV infection, and if you continue these behaviors, you should be tested regularly. It is also recommended that all women who are pregnant or are planning on becoming pregnant should be tested for HIV.

Once HIV enters the body, the body starts to produce antibodies - substances the immune system creates after infection. Most HIV tests look for these antibodies rather than the virus itself. There are many different kinds of HIV tests, including rapid tests and home test kits. All HIV tests approved by the US government are very good at finding HIV.

Getting Tested

Locate an HIV Testing Site - National HIV and STD Testing Resources (http://www.HIVtest.org) This resource provides a national database of HIV testing sites and locator to help find a test center as well as answers to many questions about HIV/AIDS and testing.

Locate an HIV Testing Site for Mobile Phone Users - Text KNOWIT Mobile phone users can send a text message with their zip code to “KNOWIT” (566948). Within seconds, they will receive a text message identifying an HIV testing site near them. This mobile phone service connects users with CDC’s testing database found at http://www.HIVtest.org.

National HIV/AIDS Program - Getting Tested (Department of Veterans Affairs) This resource from the VA's National HIV/AIDS Program provides an educational overview about the testing process and the next steps after getting tested and receiving a diagnosis for veterans and those eligible to enter the VA healthcare system.

Guidelines and Standards

• Comprehensive Risk Counseling and Services(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

This Web site provide information to CBOs and health departments that are or will be implementing CRCS (formerly known as Prevention Case Management or PCM) – an intensive, individual level, client-centered risk reduction intervention for people at high risk for HIV infection or transmission.

• Couseling and Testing Information (USAID)

USAID recognizes that scaling up access to HIV counseling and testing is a critical part of a comprehensive response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The overwhelming majority of people living with HIV/AIDS are unaware of their HIV status. Counseling and testing can help individuals to learn their HIV serostatus and link people to treatment prevention, and care activities.

• HIV Counseling with Rapid Tests (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

How do you provide counseling when using the rapid HIV tests? What should you tell clients?

• HIV Testing (Food and Drug Administration)

The Food and Drug Administration regulates the approval of medical devices involved in the collection, processing, testing, manufacture and administration of licensed blood, blood components and cellular products. This website provides a listing of FDA resources about approved HIV testing products and kits and guidance and information for industry about the approval of new products.

• Model Counseling Protocols for Standard and Rapid Test Sessions (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

RESPECT-2 is a research study that compares different forms of HIV testing and risk-reduction counseling in clients at sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinics in the United States. The purpose of the study is to look for ways to provide HIV testing and counseling that are more effective at reducing clients' risk of becoming infected with sexually transmitted infections (STIs), than the best known methods used now.

New MMWR Released: MMWR: False-Positive Oral Fluid Rapid HIV Tests --- New York City, 2005--2008. These findings underscore the importance of confirming all reactive HIV tests, both from oral fluid and whole-blood specimens.

Revised Guidelines for Counseling, Testing, and Referral (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Recommendations on HIV testing procedures for health care providers working in hospital emergency departments, urgent care clinics, inpatient services, substance abuse treatment clinics, public health clinics, community clinics, correctional health care facilities and primary care settings.

Social Networks Testing (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) A community-based strategy for identifying persons with undiagnosed HIV-infection. Interim guide for HIV counseling, testing, and referral programs.

External Links

• http://www.HIVtest.org

Frequent Questions

• How can I tell if I'm infected with HIV?
• Should I get tested?
• How long after a possible exposure should I wait to get tested for HIV?
• How do HIV tests work?
• If I test HIV negative, does that mean that my sex partner is HIV negative also?
• What if I test positive for HIV?
• I'm HIV positive. Where can I get information about treatment?
• Where can I get tested for HIV infection?
• What is CDC doing to get more people tested for HIV?
• Why does CDC recommend HIV screening for all pregnant women?

Related Videos

This video discusses the importance of African-American men who have sex with other men needing to know their HIV status.