State senators take HIV test, encourage others to take it

LANSING — As the state Senate was at ease Tuesday afternoon, four Democratic state senators visited the senate majority leader’s conference room to take a test.

Sens. Hansen Clarke (D-1), Tupac Hunter (D-5), Gilda Jacobs (D-14) and Martha Scott (D-2) all took oral HIV tests in recognition of the upcoming National HIV/AIDS Testing Day.

“I would encourage anyone to take this simple and painless test,” Clarke said afterward.

The senators each took an OraSure test, which tests for HIV antibodies in saliva. The swab samples will be sent to the Michigan Department of Community Health labs, and results will be back in about two weeks, the senators were told. The test, which replaced a blood draw, is 99.9 percent effective in detecting antibodies to HIV, said Matt Hulbert, prevention coordinator for the Lansing Area AIDS Network (LAAN).

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The tests were administered by Hulbert as part of his work for LAAN, which offers both anonymous and confidential testing. The difference between the two is that in anonymous tests, people do not disclose their identities, while in confidential tests, they do.  All county health departments in the state offer HIV testing, as do local HIV/AIDS service organizations.

The Michigan Department of Community Health said that as of April 2008 there were 13,498 people diagnosed with HIV or AIDS living in Michigan. The state estimates as many as 18,000 people are infected, (deletes duplicate phrase) with up to 25 percent of those carrying the virus having no idea they are infected.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended last fall that all Americans should be tested for HIV as part of an annual physical.

While the senators were being tested, other community leaders were being tested in Oakland County, and Kalamazoo Mayor Bobby Hopewell is preparing to take an HIV test Wednesday.

“The focus on this day is to provide a visual education piece about the need to know your status to love yourself and to love your partner,” says Derek Smiertka, executive director for Michigan Equality, which helped coordinate the testing events. He added that people reduce the risk of contracting HIV/AIDS or infecting others when they know their HIV status.

David Colture, executive director of the Michigan AIDS Fund, highlighted Smiertka’s comment but insisted that it is clear that all tests are confidential no matter who is taking the test.

“Part of the reason we find that people don’t get tested is the stigma that they feel the test says about them,” Colture said. “These true leaders participating in the test on Tuesday know that getting tested says knowledge is power to reduce risk to themselves and their partners.”

Ferndale Mayor Craig Covey, the first openly gay mayor of a city in Michigan, was one of the politicians tested in Oakland County.

“Our goal is to highlight how easy it is to know your status,” said Covey, the director of the Midwest AIDS Prevention Project. “There are many service providers throughout the state that provide free, anonymous testing all year round. Testing is a critical part of prevention.”