Getting tested

Phillip Ranallo sat in Virginia Room C in the University Student Commons holding a yellow slip of paper. Munching on snacks and stealing glances around the room, he waited for his name to be called. Slightly past noon, Ranallo heard his name, and he found out how he tested for HIV, the virus that leads to AIDS.

Know your facts
 Virginia reported 16,378 cases of HIV/AIDS from 1981 to 2005.
 Pap smears do not test for HIV/AIDS.
 You are at high-risk for HIV/AIDS if you have had three sex partners in a year or 10 in a lifetime, if you are a man having sex with other men, a woman who has sex with a gay man, or someone who uses needles to inject drugs.
 More than 25 medications for HIV/AIDS are now available on the market.
 Viral load refers to how many times the virus has multiplied in the body.
 If the body’s T-cell count is low, it cannot fight off infection.
Information from Fan Free Clinic and Statehealthfacts.org

You got tested. What does your result mean?
 Negative/Non-Reactive: No HIV antibodies detected in the sample you provided.
 Invalid: A problem occurred with sample collection. Result not indicated.
 Preliminary Positive: HIV antibodies may be present in your body. Test again for confirmation.

For more information

National AIDS Hotline
1-800-342-AIDS (2437)

Fan Free Clinic
1010 N. Thompson St.
P.O. Box 6477
Richmond, VA 23230
(804)358-6343

Student Health Services (Monroe Park Campus)
Sports Medicine Building
1300 W. Broad,
Suite 2200
(804) 828-8828

MCV Campus Clinic
VMI Building
Room 305,
1000 E. Marshall St.
(804) 828- 9220

Ranallo, a junior mass communications major who is getting married soon, stopped by the free HIV/AIDS testing program sponsored by the Caribbean Student Organization because he felt it was important to learn his status.

“It’s nice to know,” he said. “You future sexual department depends on you knowing.”

The entire testing process took Ranallo 25 minutes.

The OraQuick ADVANCE Rapid HIV-1/2 Antibody Test uses a sample of oral fluid to detect the presence of HIV antibodies.

Each test costs about $14, which is paid for by the Virginia Department of Health. The results are 99.8 percent accurate, said Robert Key, a HIV and STD test counselor at Fan Free Clinic.

“The oral sample picks up the mucous membranes on your gum,” he said. “It’s going to mix with the chemical that is in the test, and 20 minutes later you’ll have results.”

The CSO initiated the testing program last year with help from the Fan Free Clinic. Together, with the help of various other cosponsors, they plan to bring free testing to VCU every year to raise awareness.

Christine Campbell, vice president of CSO and senior business management administration major, said awareness is one of the major reasons the organization holds the annual program.

“Knowing is beautiful,” she said, quoting recent HIV/AIDS commercials on MTV. “When you know, you feel so much more comfortable with yourself.”

Campbell said she thinks the reason people are so afraid to get tested is because of the virus’ stigma.

“It’s a lifelong thing, and when you know you might be doing things you shouldn’t be doing, it makes you that much more scared to go out and get tested,” she said.

Getting tested is about breaking the ice, said Susan Tellier, senior prevention specialist for Fan Free Clinic.

“When you get tested for the first time it breaks the ice,” she said. “Then you know what to expect, and in the future when they think about getting tested, they’re more likely to get tested.

“Information is the key to calming people’s fears,” she said. “The fear of the unknown.”

Tellier said she wants students’ fears to disappear, and she wants them to know if their tests come back positive, they will not die tomorrow.

“HIV is a treatable disease,” she said. “It’s not a death sentence. So if you are positive, you want to know so that you can protect others you care about and so that you can get treatment and live a quality life.”

Angelique, a sophomore mass communications major who asked for her last name to be withheld, said she came to get tested because she hated not knowing her status.

She said regardless of how nerve-wracking the process is, students need to go through with it.

“Everybody’s afraid of the outcome,” she said. “You could actually be HIV-positive. But everyone should get tested because it’s better to be more aware.

“Your life is important,” she said.