What if I test positive?
Knowing your status is important.
Don’t be afraid to know your results. By knowing that you are HIV positive you can seek treatment, stay healthy longer or improve your current health.
What does a positive result mean?
A positive result means that you may have HIV. You must have an additional blood test at a health facility, pharmacy or doctor to confirm the result. If your confirmatory blood-based HIV test is positive, you are HIV positive and need to start antiretroviral therapy (ART).
What should I do if I get a positive result from the HIV self-screening?
The next step is always to confirm your result with a blood test. You can receive help from the CareWorks contact centre to find your closest partner or DoH facility where you can have the confirmatory test done for free or you can go to your private GP or pharmacy. If the second test confirms that you are HIV positive, you should start ART as early as possible.
It can be distressing to learn that you are HIV positive, and you are not alone. Please call CareWorks at
077 402 2456 or send your name and surname to 30956, and we will call you back. We can support and advise you. The operating hours of the contact centre are 8:00- 16:30 Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays. If you call outside of operating hours, a counsellor will call you back during operating hours.
The contact centre can:
- provide information about HIV and the self-screening test
- educate you about HIV
- provide advice to help you to take the test correctly
- refer you to a health care facility for confirmatory testing and initiation on ART
- support you if you are HIV positive
All calls are confidential.
For urgent 24-hour support and assistance, you may contact the National AIDS Helpline at 0800 012 322 or the suicide crisis hotline at 0800 567 567