2008 Woodie Awards
Instant results make HIV test easier to take
Commentary
Katherine McGehee
Issue date: 10/12/06 Section: Editorial
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Commentary By
Katherine McGehee
Photo Editor
Negative.
It's a word you never want to hear from parents, teachers or loved ones. But when you're sitting with the person performing your HIV test, it's the only word you're hoping for.
I recently spent a Friday morning with William from Chattanooga Cares learning first-hand about their free instant HIV test. This blood analysis tests for the HIV antibody and allows you to get your results in 20 minutes, instead of the two-week wait at the health department.
After I arrived at the Chattanooga Cares office, I was shown to a small room on the second floor and asked to fill out a few forms including a release allowing them to perform the test and a confidentiality agreement. The confidentiality agreement covered not only my identity, but also the identities of other people in the building. I was told that the papers would be shredded if I got a negative result.
William explained that the test checked for HIV antibodies and not the actual virus, so there is a three-month window after the day of infection when it is possible to get a negative response and still be infected.
He also explained that if I got a positive result, they would do a confirmatory test that they mail off to double-check the results.
He pulled out a sterile testing pack that looked like a combination of a pregnancy test and a blood-sugar testing kit. He pricked the ring finger on my left hand (because I'm right-handed) and collected a drop of blood onto the testing stick. He then placed the stick in a small vile of liquid and set an egg timer for 20 minutes.
As we waited for the white testing area to turn pale pink, we discussed some of the more shocking vital stats concerning HIV in America. For example, I found out one in four people with HIV don't know they are infected. William explained to me that 96 percent of new infections come from that 25 percent of people that had no idea they might be infected.
Katherine McGehee
Photo Editor
Negative.
It's a word you never want to hear from parents, teachers or loved ones. But when you're sitting with the person performing your HIV test, it's the only word you're hoping for.
I recently spent a Friday morning with William from Chattanooga Cares learning first-hand about their free instant HIV test. This blood analysis tests for the HIV antibody and allows you to get your results in 20 minutes, instead of the two-week wait at the health department.
After I arrived at the Chattanooga Cares office, I was shown to a small room on the second floor and asked to fill out a few forms including a release allowing them to perform the test and a confidentiality agreement. The confidentiality agreement covered not only my identity, but also the identities of other people in the building. I was told that the papers would be shredded if I got a negative result.
William explained that the test checked for HIV antibodies and not the actual virus, so there is a three-month window after the day of infection when it is possible to get a negative response and still be infected.
He also explained that if I got a positive result, they would do a confirmatory test that they mail off to double-check the results.
He pulled out a sterile testing pack that looked like a combination of a pregnancy test and a blood-sugar testing kit. He pricked the ring finger on my left hand (because I'm right-handed) and collected a drop of blood onto the testing stick. He then placed the stick in a small vile of liquid and set an egg timer for 20 minutes.
As we waited for the white testing area to turn pale pink, we discussed some of the more shocking vital stats concerning HIV in America. For example, I found out one in four people with HIV don't know they are infected. William explained to me that 96 percent of new infections come from that 25 percent of people that had no idea they might be infected.
