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COMSTOCK
Getting an HIV test isn’t even this hard anymore.
“Prevention is our best weapon for individual and community health.” –Sharen Duke
AIDS was once the small word that struck big fear, but it’s no longer the scaremongering disease it was when it first went public in the 1980s, when a pandemic of biblical proportions was feared.
“The perception of it as a chronic disease has changed,” says Sharen Duke, CEO of AIDS Service Center NYC. “There have been medical advances in treating it, but the reality is that there still is no cure. Prevention is our best weapon for individual and community health.”
Prevention includes testing people for HIV, the virus that results in AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome), which, along with safe sex education, is still the only way to stem the disease. National HIV Testing Day, June 27, aims to spread the message that HIV/AIDS is alive and still making people unwell. Early testing is part of secondary prevention.
“It’s important to let people know that early testing means people with HIV can live healthy lives,” Duke says. “It also helps prevent spreading the disease through our communities. We need to fight against complacency.”
What happens at an HIV test?
Getting tested is simple. Like many centers around the country, ASC uses OraQuick Advance Rapid HIV-1/2 Antibody test, which is a simple mouth swab to see if HIV antibodies are present — that means no needles and no blood work (although blood tests and urine tests are still available for those who prefer them). With rapid testing, results are available in about 20 minutes. At many testing sites, testing is free, completely confidential and includes a pre- and post-test counseling session. To find a testing center near you, visit www.hivtest.org.
“The perception of it as a chronic disease has changed,” says Sharen Duke, CEO of AIDS Service Center NYC. “There have been medical advances in treating it, but the reality is that there still is no cure. Prevention is our best weapon for individual and community health.”
Prevention includes testing people for HIV, the virus that results in AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome), which, along with safe sex education, is still the only way to stem the disease. National HIV Testing Day, June 27, aims to spread the message that HIV/AIDS is alive and still making people unwell. Early testing is part of secondary prevention.
“It’s important to let people know that early testing means people with HIV can live healthy lives,” Duke says. “It also helps prevent spreading the disease through our communities. We need to fight against complacency.”
What happens at an HIV test?
Getting tested is simple. Like many centers around the country, ASC uses OraQuick Advance Rapid HIV-1/2 Antibody test, which is a simple mouth swab to see if HIV antibodies are present — that means no needles and no blood work (although blood tests and urine tests are still available for those who prefer them). With rapid testing, results are available in about 20 minutes. At many testing sites, testing is free, completely confidential and includes a pre- and post-test counseling session. To find a testing center near you, visit www.hivtest.org.
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