Tijuana health centers offer free HIV/AIDS testing

Able to detect and care for positive cases promptly

TIJUANA | As part of National AIDS Rapid Testing Day, health authorities report that all health centers, mobile units, maternal and child hospitals and general hospitals are offering testing services to HIV patients. community, this tool allows us to stop infections by detecting and treating disease promptly.

Norma Alicia Olmedo Navarro, director of the HIV, sexually transmitted infections and hepatitis C program for the Tijuana Health Services jurisdiction, explained that while some people Illness, which has characteristics very similar to the flu or common cold, but often without any symptoms, so the only way to know if the virus is present in your body is through a rapid test.

The test, which can be requested for free at any health center or mobile unit, involves taking a drop of blood from your finger and placing it into a device. You can get your results in a few minutes. If the result is positive, the patient will be referred to the Outpatient Center for AIDS Prevention and Care (CAPASITS) or the Service Area General Hospital Care (SAIH) for follow-up testing to confirm the diagnosis and confirm the diagnosis. Next treatment.

Informed consent must be obtained from the patient to undergo testing. When you have multiple partners and are not using protection on any of them, it is recommended to do this every six months or annually.

Some patients have requested regular rapid testing as a self-protection measure.

Health staff, for their part, are trained to be sensitive to the situation and inform patients appropriately. Proof of this is that almost 100% of people who test positive for rapid tests go to CAPASITS or CAE for treatment.

Olmedo Navarro recalled that health authorities provided drugs that allowed HIV/AIDS patients to live a good quality of life, although it had to be permanently controlled.

HIV/AIDS is managed as a chronic disease, and people who adhere to treatment live longer. Other rapid tests available and free include testing for syphilis and hepatitis C.