ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT HIV COUNSELING & TESTING

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Many people are living with Human Immune Virus (HIV) without knowing it. Every Nigerian should go for HIV Counseling and testing (HCT). This will help as;1. Knowing your HIV status helps you plan for the future. Healthy looking people can carry HIV without knowing it.

2. Knowing your HIV status can help you change behaviors that may put you and others at risk.
 
3. All pregnant women should go for HCT so as to prevent infecting their unborn baby with HIV if the mother is positive. Discuss with doctors the measures you must take to protect your baby.
In order to get started you must make up your mind to take a bold step to;
1. Get tested. Find out the nearest hospital, clinic, center where you can go for confidential counseling and testing. 
 
2. Make sure that you talk to a trained counselor before the test is carried out. The counselor will prepare your mind on what to expect. A small amount of blood will be taken to carry out the test.
3. Remember the test is absolutely confidential. Only you and the counselor will know the result.

Once your test result is out, the counselor will discuss it with you.
If you are HIV negative, it means either;
1. Right now you are not infected with HIV…or

2. You may be infected but it’s still too early to detect the virus. It can take up to 3-6 months to test positive after being infected with HIV. This is called the ‘window period’. Though you are likely not to be infected, you will have to repeat the test in 3 months to be absolutely sure. Within the 3 months period, you will need to avoid activities that will expose you to HIV infection, as well as protecting others.

3. Since you are not infected now, you will have to make up your mind to carry out any of these three activities to maintain your HIV negative status.

Which are;

a. Abstain from sex if you are single.
b. Be faithful to only your married partner whose HIV status has been proven by a blood test too.
c. Use condom correctly and always.
d. Avoid other activities that make you vulnerable.

If your result test is positive, this means that you are infected with HIV.

1. The virus attacks your body immune (defense) system making it possible for you to catch a lot of different sicknesses.

2. Knowing that you are HIV positive early is very good. This means that you can take care of your body and support your body defense system to fight other sicknesses/infections.

3. Being HIV positive is not the end of the world. You can still live a good life ahead of you. All you have to do is to make up your mind to live positively with the virus.

Check next post on this site tomorrow to see ‘SUGGESTIONS FOR POSITIVE LIVING FOR HIV PATIENTS’

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