Community Health Awareness Group

HIV Rapid Testing - Frequently Asked Questions

How is HIV Rapid Testing Conducted?
CHAG's HIV Rapid Testing involves four basic steps:

• Pre-test counseling with a certified HIV Counselor and Tester
• Collection of whole blood gathered through a small finger-stick
• Blood is placed on a testing device where the test takes 15 minutes to develop
• Results are given during a post-test counseling session

Is the Rapid Test Confidential?

CHAG provides anonymous or confidential HIV Rapid Testing.

CHAG provides you with the option to be tested with your name (confidential testing) or without your name and instead you are assigned a unique number (anonymous testing). Any person giving you this test is required by the laws of the State of Michigan to keep your test results confidential, with a few exceptions specified by law.

If you request testing without your name, a trained counselor will counsel you on an anonymous basis. However, if anonymous testing is done and you receive a reactive/positive result, you need to know that health care and treatment are not provided on an anonymous basis and you will need to consent to a confidential test in order to access services.

What do the results mean?

Non-reactive:

Is the same as receiving a negative test result. This means that there are no HIV antibodies present in the system at the time of the test.

IMPORTANT: However, you may be in the "window period," meaning that any high-risk behaviors you may have engaged in within the last 30 days may not show up in the test. It will then be recommended that you return to test within the next 30 days.

Reactive:

Means that there MAY be HIV infection, however additional testing is required to verify these results. In this case, you will need to take an OraSure mouth-swab test that is sent to the State of Michigan Laboratory for processing. It takes 5-10 days to receive these results.

What are the benefits of rapid testing for HIV?

Rapid tests offer great promise to help fight the HIV/AIDS epidemic. They can:

• Increase the number of individuals who seek testing and who actually receive their test results
• Facilitate early identification of infection and help reduce the number of persons who are tested late in the course of their HIV disease
• Prevent new infections by allowing people to learn their status and receive information that can help them protect their partners
• Help individuals maintain negative status by providing immediate test results along with HIV risk reduction information and counseling
• Help eliminate mother-to-baby transmission

 

Are there any disadvantages of offering rapid testing?

Yes. A rapid test does not offer a rapid confirmed positive result. This means that individuals who receive a reactive test must wait to receive a confirmed positive result. For some individuals, this additional time may be unexpected. These persons may need extra support and counseling. It is important for them to return for their "final" test result.

What is meant by "confirmatory test" and how can the confirmatory test be obtained?

CHAG utilizes OraSure mouth swab test to confirm reactive test results from an HIV Rapid Test. The specimen collected is sent to the Michigan Department of Community Health Laboratory for more sensitive testing which includes a second screening test followed by two confirmatory tests. The results typically take 7-10 business days to process. Once received, your counselor will contact you to arrange a meeting time where you may receive and discuss your confirmatory test result.

What support is provided should I test HIV-positive?

CHAG has a staff of mobile advocates and HIV counselors who will provide one-on-one counseling support in the event that you do test HIV-positive. This includes directed referrals to primary medical care through an HIV specialist and screening for HIV case management, mental health or risk reduction counseling. Additionally, all positive testers are connected with providers to address any immediate needs with, such as food, clothing, shelter, etc.

Who will know the results of my tests?

Any person giving you this test is required by law to keep your test results confidential. Even the courts must follow specific rules before they can require disclosure through a court order. A subpoena is not sufficient to require disclosure; you will be asked to sign a separate release form. If this information needs to be released beyond the requirements of the law, you will be asked to sign a separate release form.

In Michigan, positive test results are reportable to the state and local health departments. The health department will maintain your confidentiality and use this information to understand the extent of infection in Michigan communities.

This information may also be used by your health provider or local health department as needed to properly diagnose and care for you and protect your health, to assist you in notifying your sexual or needle-sharing partners, and to prevent spread of the virus.

Whom should I tell if I am HIV-positive?

Michigan law requires that you must notify any new sexual partner prior to having sex with them. Past sexual and needls-sharing partners are to be notified so that they can also be counseled and offered testing. If requested, your local health department will provide you assistance in notifying partners.

Inform all health care providers, both medical and dental, who are providing you treatment, about your HIV infection. This helps them care for you.

The law prohibits health care providers from refusing to treat you based upon your HIV infection.

New guidelines indicate that HIV-infected pregnant women should undergo treatment for HIV disease. This treatment may reduce the risk of transmission to the newborn by 60-70%.

Finally, be careful about discussing your HIV status with others. Some people may not understand the nature of the infection or how it is actually spread. This may lead to misunderstanding and create problems for you with friends, co-workers, or others.

What if I have more questions?

There are a variety of resources that can provide additional information. Please contact any of the following:

Community Health Awareness Group (313) 963-3434

Michigan AIDS Hotline 1(800) 872-AIDS or 1(800) 872-2437

For Spanish, please call 1(800) 862-SIDA or 1(800) 862-7432

TDD 1(800) 332-0849

National AIDS Hotline 1(800) CDC-INFO or 1(800) 232-4636

CDC Business and Labor Resource 1(877) 242-9760