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HIV testing was offered on Friday as part of Coming Out Week, a weeklong schedule of events focusing on sexual diversity at UMaine. Testing was conducted by the Eastern Maine AIDS Network.
Students waited at the Rainbow Resource Center to take the test and learn their results.
“An important 20 minutes of hell” is how Zachery Knox, president of Wilde Stein, the University of Maine’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) student organization, described waiting for the results of his HIV test.
“It’s very important to know your status,” said Jonathon Nason, a former UMaine art student.
“Status” refers to whether or not you are HIV positive. All those in high-risk groups are encouraged to get tested to help protect themselves and others from infection.
The actual test is simple and quick — no needle, no wait. A noninvasive oral swab detects the virus. Twenty years ago, testing was only possible on a blood sample, and it took a week or more to get results. Now, the swab test provides results in about 20 minutes with 99.6 percent accuracy.
Sharon Paul, a prevention and outreach worker for the Eastern Maine Aids Network, administered the tests. Paul is HIV positive and has been living with the disease for seven years. She said “knowledge is power,” and that HIV treatment has come a long way. Paul emphasized the importance of testing but understands some people may be scared of the results. Despite the fear, she said it is better to find out early before becoming symptomatic.
Paul will return to UMaine to conduct more clinics throughout the year. She will also share her personal story at a Wilde Stein meeting Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. in the FFA room of the Memorial Union.
