Getting an HIV test is not a happy thought, no matter how remote the possibility of a positive result. My friends and I had at various times discussed getting tested together, just because it seemed a responsible thing to do. But we'd always remained in the all talk, no action phase.
Recently, however, circumstances forced me to overcome my queasiness and schedule an appointment with University Health Services to receive the HIV antibody test: my parents decided to move to Moscow.
Mob, KGB and vodka jokes aside, one of the first things my younger brother and I faced in the wake of our parents' decision was a massive pile of paperwork titled "Visa application," since both of us intend to visit. And as my mother dumped a thick manila envelope and stack of frightening bureaucratic forms into my arms, she said: "You'll need to get an HIV test as soon as possible."
I tried to keep my face neutral, since any expression of discomfort would lead to an awkward discussion of my sex life, or, even more embarrassing, suspicions that I'd taken up drugs. Why else would a test make me uncomfortable?
The truth us, just as people are often reluctant to write their wills or sign their driver's licenses authorizing organ donations, they seldom are comfortable getting tested for sexually transmitted infections, because they don't like to think about dying or getting sick. Unfortunately, simply sticking our heads in the sand doesn't keep us from either.
For all the AIDS awareness groups on campus, around the country and worldwide, few students are comfortable discussing HIV, let alone going to have the antibody test.
Yet college students are a high-risk group when it comes to sexual activity. College-aged men and women account for the highest percentage of new cases of sexually transmitted infections, and a few years ago North Carolina researchers found that students represented over a fifth of the state's new HIV infections among 18- to 30-year-olds. Students were 3.5 times more likely than non-students to become infected.
According to safersex.org, roughly half of all new HIV infections in the United States are among people under 25, with most people infected sexually. HIV infections are not limited to the gay community, either, as some would like to believe. When the North Carolina researchers first publicized their findings, a representative from the Center for Disease Control told CBS that pigeonholing led people to believe that college students were immune from HIV infection.
It's amazing how the mind can create terrifying what-if scenarios, and it's easy to be paranoid. But when it comes to personal health, it's best to swallow your pride and get tested.
Because HIV tests are often required for travel purposes, and because of greater HIV awareness, getting tested doesn't carry the stigma it once did. Doctors recommend that anyone who has had multiple sex partners get tested for HIV.
If you decide to get tested for HIV or other sexually transmitted infections, be sure that the health care provider you meet with is knowledgeable and non-judgmental. If a doctor or nurse makes you uncomfortable, ask to meet with someone else.
The HIV antibody test is either anonymous or confidential, so before you give a blood sample, make sure you know what you've agreed to. Anonymous testing does not put your name with your test results, whereas confidential testing could include your results in your medical record.
At UHS, I met with a registered nurse, who gave me a brochure on the HIV antibody test and answered my questions before directing me to the lab. There, a man in a white lab coat whipped out a syringe as I closed my eyes to avoid the sight of my blood being drawn. Then I had to wait a few days. When I returned, the nurse smiled and handed me the lab report with the result "non-react" spelled out.
Even if it means confronting past behaviors or irrational fears, students shouldn't shy away from being safe and getting tested. We owe it to ourselves and to others.
Cynthia Martens ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in Italian and European Studies.
