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Substance Abuse and Counselling
months for repeat testing. It is important to remember that, in areas with low levels of HIV infection, the risk of finding a false-positive result is greater than in those where background rates of HIV infection are high. Thus, where there are many people with AIDS in the community, it is more likely that a positive ELISA result is accurate. For more information, you may read unit 4 of Block II of the Basic Course on HIV/ADS. II) Prevention and support while waiting for an unequivocal result. The period of uncertainty following equivocal or indeterminate test result may be three months or longer after the last instance of potentially high-risk exposure or the previous test for HIV infection. It is then important for counsellors to emphasize essential prevention messages regarding sexual and drug-use activity, body fluid and tissue donation, and breastfeeding. The person will need to undertake the precautions recommended for HIV positive persons until proven otherwise. Just as importantly, however, the uncertainties associated with this period may lead to acute and severe psychosocial difficulties, and the counsellor must be prepared to assess and manage such issues or to make appropriate referrals, if necessary, in every case. Ongoing counselling for sero positive and terminal persons:
Keep in touch with development in all spheres of the client’s life;
Acknowledge information shared earlier;
Deal with issues of sudden disruption in normal life;
Provide support where client feels loss of control over life;