FAQs

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
And their easy answers

What is HIV?

HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. It is a virus that attacks the immune system, weakening it until it no longer works. This is the virus that causes Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

What is AIDS?

AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. It is condition where the immune system has been weakened by HIV to the point that it isn’t able to work very well or not work at all.

How does a person get HIV?

In order to become infected with HIV, a person has to get the infected blood, semen (cum), breast milk or vaginal fluids from someone with HIV into their body. Any behavior that lets these body fluids move from an HIV infected person into another person is a risk for getting HIV.

How does a person know if he or she has become infected with HIV?

The only way for a person to “know” if he or she has become HIV infected is by having an HIV antibody test. Damaging the immune system does not feel like anything, there are no symptoms. Only when the immune system is very weak and the body has difficulty fighting off diseases and infections that were easy for it to do before can symptoms begin to be noticed. Getting to this point can take 10 years or more, depending on how strong the immune system was at the time of infection and the person’s genetics.

How does the HIV test work?

When a person becomes infected with HIV, the body makes antibodies (special immune cells) to try to kill the virus or fight it off. These antibodies are specifically made to fight HIV. They are not general virus-fighting antibodies. The HIV antibody test is designed to recognize these specific antibodies and react. There are different forms of HIV antibody tests such as a blood serum antibody test which looks for HIV antibodies in blood taken from a person’s vein. There is also an oral test that looks for HIV antibodies in the cells that line the inside of a person’s mouth. These 2 types of tests take up to 2 weeks to be processed so the results can be given to the person. There is a rapid HIV antibody test. This looks for HIV antibodies in blood that was taken by pricking the person’s finger. This test takes 10-20 minutes to process so the person can be given the result during that visit/appointment. It is recommended that anyone who tests positive for the HIV antibodies should have a second test to double check/confirm the first result. It is rare for a result to be a false positive (the first test result is positive, but the confirmatory test is negative and this means the person does not have HIV). But it is always recommended to check just in case.

Where can I get tested for HIV?

There are many places that offer HIV antibody testing, and many of them are free. Family Planning clinics, hospitals, private doctors and health centers are a few of the many places that offer HIV antibody testing. Some of them have free HIV testing as well as other health services. For a list of places to be tested, click on Resources.