Below is some basic information about HIV. For information on specific topics related to HIV and AIDS, please use the menu on the left.

HIV is the virus that causes AIDS.

HIV is passed from one person to another during unprotected sex (vaginal, anal, or oral sex without a condom) with someone who has HIV.

HIV is passed through contact with blood as in sharing needles (piercing, tattooing or injecting drugs of any kind) or sharing works with a person who has HIV.

The only way to know if you have HIV is to be tested.

HIV tests are safe. They involve collecting one or more specimens (blood, oral fluid, urine).

There are different possible results of an HIV test. For an guide to interpreting your test results, please see our Understanding Your HIV Test Results page.

Several testing options are available.

Confidential: You can choose to have a confidential test where the result becomes part of your medical record and can be given to your health care provider for HIV and other health care services. New York State law requires confidential testing sites to provide certain information about people who test HIV-positive to the State Department of Health. The information is used for statistical purposes. This information is NOT given to insurance companies, employers, INS, family members, or any federal agencies. care services, or

Anonymous: You can choose to have an anonymous test, which means that you don't give your name and no record is kept of the result. If your anonymous test is HIV-positive, you can choose to give your name later so you can get medical care more quickly. In New York State, anonymous testing is provided for free but ONLY at Department of Health test sites. You can find information about anonymous HIV testing sites by clicking here

HIV testing is important for your health.

If your test result is negative, you can learn how to protect yourself from being infected in the future.

If your test result is positive:

• You can take steps to prevent passing the virus to others.
• You can received treatment for HIV and learn about other ways to stay healthy. As part of treatment, additional tests will be done to determine the best treatment for you. These tests include viral load and viral resistance test.

HIV testing is especially important for pregnant women.

An infected mother can pass HIV to her child during pregnancy or birth or through breastfeeding.

It is much better to know your HIV status before or early in pregnancy so you can make imporant decisions about your own health and the health of your baby.

If you are pregnant and have HIV, treatment is available for your own health and to prevent passing HIV to your baby. IF you have HIV and do not get treatment the change of passing HIV to your baby is one in four. If you get treatment, your chance of passing HIV to your baby is much lower.

If youIf you are not tested during pregnancy, your provider will recommend testing when you are in labor. In all cases, your baby will be tested after birth. A positive test on your baby means that you have HIV and your baby has been exposed to the virus.

If you test positive:

The confidentiality of your test result is protected by the law, which also protects you from discrimination based on your HIV status.

In almost all cases, you will be asked to give written approval before your HIV test result can be shared.

A healthcare provider will talk to you about notifying your sex or needle-sharing partners of possible exposure to HIV. Your partners need to know that they have been exposed to HIV so they can be tested and get treated if they have HIV. Health department coundselors can hep notify your partners without ever telling them your name. To ensure your safety, your healthcare provider will ask you questions about the risk of domestic violence for each partner notified. If there is any risk, you partners will not be notified right away.

Excerpted from the New York State Department of Health - AIDS Institute's Informed Consent to Perform HIV Testing