1. MODULE 14: TESTING, COUNSELING AND CONFIDENTIALITY

2. Activity 1: Diagnosis and Services
Summing Up:
People (including young people and children) have a right to confidentiality and privacy when they receive health care, including counselling and treatment for HIV/ AIDS, STIs and RTIs
People also have the right to keep their HIV status confidential. Fear of their status being revealed may keep many from getting tested
Placing blame on individuals and discovering who are the primary ‘infectors’ of HIV/AIDS or STIs is counterproductive and leads to stigma and discrimination

3. Diagnosis and Services contd…
Counseling is considered very helpful in the care and support of persons living with HIV and or AIDS, their families, and the communities they live in
Counselling provides social and psychological support, and has been shown to help people cope with being HIV positive and understanding what it means to live with HIV and AIDS
Making the right referral is a skill and as much a part of providing Care and Support services. The idea is to help the individual, to the best possible and if that means by referring them on to a better prepared and informed person, then that is what we should do, rather than take on something we are not equipped to handle

4. Diagnosis and Services contd….
Oftentimes the student approaches a teacher who s/he feels most close or comfortable with. This is because the teacher is often looked upon as a person who the student can fall back on and depend on
This further increases the responsibility of the teacher to ensure that s/he is taking every action in the interest of the student and even unknowingly, not causing any hurt or harm to the student in any way

5. Activity 3: Living positively with HIV/AIDS
Summing Up:
If one tests positive for HIV, it is important not to deny it
It is possible to lead a productive life even if one is infected with HIV
A person can look and be healthy even after the infection has set in
Some persons who are living with HIV have changed their lifestyles – they eat healthy, exercise and meditate regularly

6. Activity 3: Living positively with HIV/AIDS Contd...
Antiretroviral therapy (ART) can slow the disease progression by stopping or decreasing the reproduction of the virus in the body
It is possible to reduce transmission from mother to child by seeking care from a qualified doctor early in pregnancy