Close the gap: Test and treat for HIV |03 March 2017

Today, more than 800 people in Seychelles have HIV. Men, women, and people of all sexual orientations, all colours, and all ages are getting infected. How? At least one in five people with HIV do not know they have it. As a result they are not getting the treatment they need; and they may be passing HIV to others without knowing it.

 

You can protect your health with 4 important steps: 

• Get regular checkups.
• Get tested to make sure you do not have any diseases like HIV
• Follow your doctor’s advice. 
• Adopt healthy lifestyles.

Simple, routine tests can save lives

Why? Although some diseases do not make you feel sick right away, they can seriously hurt your health if you wait too long for treatment. High blood pressure is a good example. You cannot feel it, but high blood pressure could damage your heart or cause a stroke. That is why your doctor or nurse checks your pressure when you come to a health facility.

A HIV test is now “routine” too.

Like high blood pressure, HIV might not make you feel sick at first. So you might not know you have it. But if you wait too long for treatment, things could get much worse. HIV causes Aids, which could make you more likely to get serious infections and some cancers.

A person with HIV can look and feel healthy and still infect others.

Anyone who ever had sex without a condom might have been exposed to HIV.The same is true of anyone who ever injected drugs. Often, a person with HIV does not appear to be sick.

 

HIV affects men and women of all ages in all types of neighbourhoods – even married people or those in long-term relationships.

We cannot know everything about our partners. Some people do not know they have HIV as partners do not always tell everything. They may have had sex with other people, or injected drugs. For these reasons, it is best for everyone to have an HIV test. Ask your partner to get tested, too!

 

If your HIV test result is positive, health professionals can help you.

Even if you do not feel sick, you can get regular checkups and medicine to help you live a longer, healthier life without developing Aids. You can also take care not to pass HIV to your partner, spouse, or baby.

 

Knowing if you have HIV is very important if you are planning a family.

A woman with HIV can pass it to her baby during pregnancy, labour, or breastfeeding. Treatment could keep this from happening. Both women and men should be tested for their own sake and for the sake of their future children.

The test is simple. It does not take much time.

There are different types of HIV tests. Ask your doctor or nurse which type you should have. These test options using blood from your vein are test sent to the laboratory, or rapid test done on site where you could get results the same day. It is important to note that it may take up to 3 months for HIV antibodies (made by your body to fight the virus) to show up in a test. If you get tested within 3 months after possible exposure to the virus, you could have HIV, but it may not show. During this time period, which varies from person to person, you can still pass HIV to others. If you think you may have been infected with HIV, talk to your doctor or nurse about getting an HIV test, the possible need for follow-up testing, and how to prevent transmitting HIV to others.

 

You do not have to pay for an HIV test in government health facilities.

In private health facilities, there is usually a charge. Ask your doctor or nurse if you have any questions about the cost of the test.

 

Learn more about HIV and find out where to get tested in your area

• Talk with your doctor or nurse; ask for the HIV test
• Call CDCU on 4388232 or Aids Control Programme on 4388186
• Contact National Aids Council by e-mail at nacsecretariat@gov.scor by telephone at 4325050. Your call is confidential.