Counselors and social workers offer project beneficiaries HTC – HIV Testing and Counseling.
According to the World Health Organization, HIV counseling is “a confidential dialogue between the client and the counselor that aims to enable the client to cope with stress and make personal decisions regarding HIV/AIDS.”
The purpose of HTC is to:
- Prevent HIV infection;
- Support testing;
- Provide emotional support during testing;
- Support and alleviate the condition after testing, regardless of the test result.
HIV testing is performed with a rapid test, with a drop of blood from a finger or by saliva. Rapid test results are available in 15-25 minutes.
The test results may be:
- Negative, meaning that a person was not infected 3 months before the test;
- Positive, meaning that additional confirmatory testing is required;
- Indeterminate, meaning that a person’s HIV status remains unclear, requiring repeated testing.
HTC service is anonymous, confidential and free of charge.
