WHAT IS THE HIV ANTIBODY TEST?

The HIV Antibody Test detects HIV antibodies in your blood. The test was originally developed to screen blood donations, becoming widely used in early 1985. It is still used for this purpose.

When any virus enters your body, your immune system responds by making antibodies. This is an attempt by the immune system to protect the body from the virus. Thus, your immune system produces HIV antibodies when your body is infected by HIV. In most cases, antibodies due to HIV are produced within 14 weeks of infection.

The HIV Antibody Test is not a test for AIDS, and does not test directly for HIV. However, the presence of HIV antibodies indicates that a person has been affected with HIV. For this reason, many people, especially those whose behavior has put them at risk, have taken the test.

WHAT DOES A NEGATIVE TEST RESULT MEAN?

A negative HIV antibody test means that no antibodies to HIV detected in your specimen. This is either because:

you are not infected with HIV;

or you are infected but you have not yet begun producing the antibodies that this test measures.

The health care provider who tested you can interpret the negative result and advise you about re-testing. Again, most people produce antibodies within 14 weeks after being infected. A repeat test would be recommended for someone with recent exposure to the virus.

NOTE: A negative test result does not meant hat you are immune to HIV! Learn how to protect yourself and stay uninfected!

WHAT DOES A POSITIVE TEST RESULT MEAN?

A positive HIV antibody test means that antibodies to HIV were found in your blood specimen. If your test result is positive, it means that you are carrying the virus and you are capable of infecting other people through unprotected sex and needle-sharing.

A positive test result DOES NOT mean that you will develop AIDS. It DOES NOT mean that you are immune to harm from future exposure to the virus: "reinfection" with HIV may hasten the progression of HIV disease.

A positive HIV antibody test result may have a profound emotional impact on you, and on people who are close to you. You may need support and the opportunity to deal with your feelings about the test results and the effect it may have on your life. You may need help with the difficult task of informing sex partners or people with whom you have shared IV drug needles and "works."

On the other hand, a positive test result can motivate you to maintain your health as long as you can, to protect yourself from reinfection with HIV and from other infections, and to avoid transmitting HIV to others. Medical care soon after infection with HIV has helped many people remain healthy for years.

WHAT ABOUT CONFIDENTIALITY?

Unfortunately, people who test positive for HIV antibodies, or are thought to be infected, may be discriminated against in housing, employment, access to public accommodations, health or life insurance. This is a violation of the Maine Human Rights Act. For more information call the Maine Human Rights Commission at 624-6050.

Maine law, in most situations, requires that your HIV test result may not be told to anyone without written permission. However, if you are tested by a private physician or clinic, employer, institution, insurance company or the military, the test results may become part of your permanent records, and confidentiality becomes more difficult to guarantee.

ANONYMOUS TEST SITES

For people concerned about confidentiality, Anonymous Test Sites throughout Maine can provide counseling and testing without the test result becoming part of a medical record containing your name.

If you believe that you have exposed to HIV, you should receive counseling and education, whether you decide to get tested or not. At state-sponsored Anonymous Test Sites, information about how to stay healthy, how to avoid HIV reinfection, and how to contact community resources is offered to all concerned people, whether they decide to be tested or not.

WHAT ELSE SHOULD I KNOW BEFORE BEING TESTED?

Maine law requires that persons who are tested for HIV antibodies provide written informed consent before they are tested (in anonymous settings, written informed consent is not required). "Informed consent" means no one should be tested against their will, and everyone should receive information about the test before they are tested.

Pre-test counseling must, by law, include:

• A discussion of the nature, purpose and reliability of the test;
• Who will have access to the results; and
• The risks and benefits of testing.

Post - test counseling must also be offered to anyone tested and must, by law, include a discussion of:

• Test results, reliability and significance;
• Social & emotional consequences;
• Prevention practices and risk reduction plans; and
• Referrals for medical & support services.