Tonight's episode illustrated how critical it is for people to know their HIV status. Because he did not know his status, he also infected his girlfriend with this deadly disease. If you do not know you are HIV positive, you are not only a danger to yourself but also to anyone else with whom you may have sexual relations. It is also important to know your HIV status in terms of treatment options. Due to recent advancements in HIV drug therapy and treatment, the earlier a person with HIV initiates treatment, the greater as his or her chances of postponing the onset of AIDS and extending life.
Antibodies indicate that the body is mounting an immune response to the virus.
For a standard HIV test, a person goes to the doctor's office, clinic, or HIV test site to have blood drawn from a vein. The blood is then sent to a laboratory to be analyzed with special equipment. Patients need to return a week or two later to receive results. A positive result from a standard test is 100 percent accurate. For a rapid HIV test, a drop of blood from a finger pinprick can be analyzed immediately, so that the results are available in as quickly as ten minutes.