One out of every 500 college students is HIV-positive, and 90 percent of those students do not know they carry the virus, according to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Student Wellness Center aims to lower that percentage among Ohio State students.
The Wellness Center offers an anonymous HIV test called OraSure. The test checks for HIV antibodies in cheek and gum cells. Approximately 99 percent accurate, OraSure uses a toothbrush-like instrument to swab the inside of the mouth.
“The procedure is absolutely painless,” said David Carroll, coordinator of anonymous HIV counseling and testing at the Student Wellness Center. “Many people prefer this type of testing because it does not require giving blood.”
For $5, students may take the test if they believe they have been exposed to the HIV virus. The virus can be spread during vaginal, anal and oral sex, by sharing needles or by contact with infected blood.
The wellness center advises a student be tested at least six months after his or her last possible exposure to the virus. This is the window period in which the body builds up enough HIV antibodies to be detected by the test.
“The test only takes about two minutes, but we ask that students make an appointment so we can discuss healthy lifestyle decisions,” Carroll said. “We don’t just test students, give them their results and then send them on their way. Our main goal is behavior change.”
The anonymous testing associates no personal information with the results of the test. Students are given a number that is used to identify them throughout the entire course of the procedure.
“Names are never used; not even during the initial visit,” Carroll said. But he does say the anonymity of the test has some disadvantages, one being that it does not stand on its own in legal matters.
“If documentation is needed, say for the military or another organization, then a confidential blood test needs to be administered by physicians at the student health center,” Carroll said. “Also, HIV-positive students must have documentation in order to enter a treatment program. This would require a blood test as well.”
The charge for the confidential blood test is $20, and test results become part of a student’s medical record. The test, like OraSure, checks for HIV antibodies and has an accuracy rate — after the six-month window period — of 99 percent.
“Having the test show up in medical records scares many students because their parents can usually access those records easily,” Carroll said. “The anonymous testing is much more private and students appreciate that.”
If a student tests positive for HIV, many counseling options are available, including therapy and support groups. Affirmations: A Center for Psychotherapy and Growth, on South Front Street, offers a weekly support group specifically designed for HIV and AIDS patients.
“We let patients know that AIDS is not a death sentence and that there is a tremendous amount of hope provided patients take care of themselves,” said Howard Fradkin, a psychologist at Affirmations.
Free OraSure testing will be available at the Wellness Health Fair on Feb. 13. The Wellness Center also offers free testing about once a month at the Ohio Union.
