In Poland, 70 percent HIV-infected people do not know that they are carriers of the virus. The number of infected women and men is more mature, after 40 years of age. Many people find out that they are infected with the virus when it is too late and AIDS is already well advanced. Is HIV Testing Paid? Can it be done anonymously? These are some of the main questions people who hesitate to get an HIV test that can be ordered and performed even at home ask themselves.
HIV testis completely free and anonymous, but still many people do not decide to do it. You do not have to pay for HIV testing, you do not need a doctor's referral, insurance, or information such as your name or place of residence. The HIV test is performed at a special consultation and diagnostic point, abbreviated as PKD. They are scattered all over Poland and can be found in every major city. In the era of coronavirus, it is necessary to make an appointment in advance, for a specific time, via the Internet or by phone. Here, too, you can count on full anonymity. After reaching the destination, you are looked after by a consultant who conducts an interview. During the interview, answer questions honestly, for example, about the last time you had risky sexual contact. Blood is then taken from a vein or finger and tested for HIV. The waiting time for the HIV test result depends on the day, time of the test and the diagnostic and consultation point, from several hours to several days. If the HIV test is positive, the test is repeated to be sure of the presence of the virus in the body.
HIV test at home? It's possible
HIV testing can also be done at home. This research option is also free and anonymous, and the process is supervised by a consultant. However, such a test can only be performed twelve weeks after the risky situation or if you have never tested yourself before and have undertaken dangerous behavior in the past.
What is HIV?
HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. It is transmitted mostly sexually through sexanal, vaginal sex and oral sex. It can also be infected through contact with the blood of an infected person. Babies and children are at risk of coming into contact with HIV while breastfeeding by a sick mother.
HIV cannot be infected from one bathroom, tableware, through tears or saliva, as long as they do not contain the blood of an infected person. From the moment of infection, symptoms very similar to the flu, cold or mononucleosis can occur after a few weeks and last, usually for two weeks. This is called an acute retroviral disease, which is easily overlooked due to non-specific symptoms.
The HIV virus enters a dormant state that can last more than ten years after it enters this stage. After this period, as the virus multiplies, AIDS, or the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, begins to develop.
HIV impairs the immune system, making the body unable to defend itself against pathogens. It has also been proven that AIDS sufferers are more prone to developing certain types of cancer.
Living with HIV today is no different from living with another chronic disease. Thanks to the rapidly initiated antiretroviral therapy, a normal life is possible, without long hospitalizations and serious he alth complications. Antiretroviral drugs are effective in stopping the virus from multiplying and reducing its amount in the blood.
It has been proven that after reaching an undetectable viral load (the amount of virus copies per ml of blood drops to an undetectable level - but this does not mean that the infection has completely disappeared) a person with HIV does not transmit the virus to his or her partners sexual. It's the rule of undetectable=non-infectious.
HIV testing can prevent the virus from multiplying and preventing the development of AIDS. It can also be prevented from spreading through research. The list of consultation and diagnostic points with telephone numbers for registration can be found on the government website
HIV test - where to get it? Branch list
| podlaskie | PKD, ul. Bema 2, apartment no.11, 15-369 Białystok | (85) 746 04 54 | Monday and Wednesday 15.00 - 17.30 |
| kujawsko-pomorskie | PKD at the Provincial Sanitary and Epidemiological Station ul. Kujawska 4; 85-031 Bydgoszcz | (52) 376 18 00 |
Monday 15.00 - 19.00 Wednesday 15.00 - 18.00 |
| PKD at the Provincial Center for Addiction and Co-addiction Therapy, ul. Szosa Bydgoska 1, 87-100 Toruń |
(56) 622-68-31 mail: [email protected] | Tuesday 15.00 - 18.00 Friday 14.00 - 18.00 | |
| śląskie | PKD at the Addiction Therapy Center for Psychoactive Substances and Co-addiction ul. Unification 10; 41-500 Chorzow | (32) 34 63 619 |
from July 30 to August 31: Tuesday 15.00 - 17.00, Wednesday 15.00-17.00, Thursday 12.00 - 15.00, Friday 9.00 - 13.00from September 1: Monday 3 p.m. - 5 p.m., Tuesday 3 p.m. - 5 p.m., Wednesday 3 p.m. - 5 p.m., Thursday 1 p.m. - 3 p.m., Friday 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. |
| PKD at the MONAR Clinic for the Prevention, Treatment and Therapy of Addiction in Częstochowa, ul. Ogrodowa 66, 42-200 Częstochowa | (34) 365-48-99 | Thursday 17.00-20.00 | |
| pomorskie | PKD at the Outpatient Clinic of the Pomeranian Center for Infectious Diseases and Tuberculosis (building G), ul. Smoluchowskiego 18, 80-214 Gdańsk | Monday, Tuesday, Thursday 4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. | |
| Consulting and Diagnostic Point (PKD) at the Analytical Laboratory "Medica-Lab", ul. J. Tuwima 23, 76-200 Słupsk | (059) 842 87 06 | Tuesday 15.00 - 19.00 thursday 15.00 - 19.00 | |
| West Pomeranian Voivodeship |
Consultation and Diagnostics Point at the Outpatient Clinic of Acquired Immunological Deficiencies, 12 Broniewskiego Street, 71-460 Szczecin PKD at SP ZOZ MSW, ul. Szpitalna 2, 75-720 Koszalin |
91 45 42 450 |
Monday 15.00 - 18.00 Tuesday 15.00 - 18.00 Thursday 15.00 - 18.00 Wednesday 15.30 - 18.00 Saturday 9.00 - 11.30 |
| małopolskie | |||
|
PKD at the Department of Microbiology, University Hospital in Krakow, ul. Kopernika 19, 2nd floor 31-501 Kraków |
513-652-351 (Mon and Tue from 10.00 to 14.00) |
Tuesday 16.00 - 19.00 Wednesday 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Thursday 16.00 - 19.00 Friday 4pm - 5pm |
|
| łódzkie | Consultation and Diagnostics Point at the Diagnostics Laboratory at ul. Tuszyńska 19 in Łódź |
from February 2022 Monday and Thursday 15.00 - 18.00 |
|
| warmińsko-mazurskie | PKD at the Provincial Sanitary and Epidemiological Station ul. Żołnierska 16 (floor 15, ground floor); 10-561 Olsztyn | (0-89) 524 83 59 | Wotek, Thursday 15.00-18.00 |
| PKDat the Dermatology and Venereology Outpatient Clinic of the Military Hospital, ul. Kościuszki 32 (office 31), 19-300 Ełk | none | Thursday 15.00-17.00 | |
| Opolskie | PKD at the Provincial Hospital in Opole ul. Katowicka 64, entrance from ul. Kośnego 53, 45-064 Opole | Wednesday 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Friday 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. | |
| wielkopolskie | PKD ul. Mickiewicza 5/4 (at the DIAGNOSTYKA collection point), 60-834 Poznań |
tel. 61 840 79 60 | Monday 4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Thursday 4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Friday 4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. |
| podkarpackie | Consultation and Diagnostics Point at the Provincial Sanitary and Epidemiological Station, ul. Wierzbowa 16, 35-310 Rzeszow |
513-652-351 (Tue 12.00-16.00, Thu 10.00-14.00) |
Wednesday 15.15 - 18.15 Saturday 11.30 - 14.30 |
| Mazowieckie | PKD at the Observation and Infection Department of the Provincial Complex Hospital, ul. Medyczna 19, 09-400 Płock | 24 364 64 04 (from 7.00 a.m. to 2.30 p.m.) | Tuesday 15.00 - 18.00 thursday 15.00 - 18.00 |
| PKD at the Specialist Internist Clinic, Jagiellońska 34, 03-719 Warsaw | none | Monday 4 p.m. - 7 p.m. thursday 4 p.m. - 7 p.m. | |
| Consulting and Diagnostic Point at the Specialist Clinic Chmielna Express, ul. Chmielna 4, 00-117 Warszawa | (22) 826 81 62 | Monday 14.30 - 19.30 Tuesday 14.30 - 19.30 Wednesday 14.30 - 19.30 Thursday 14.30 - 19.30 Friday 9.30 - 16.30 (in case of blood collection up to 1 p.m., it is possible to collect the result on the same day) | |
|
PKD at the Preventive Medicine and Rehabilitation Center, Nugat 302-779 Warsaw | none |
Monday - Friday 4pm - 8pm Saturday 10am - 2pm |
|
| Diagnostic and Consultation Center (PKD), Al. Jana Pawła II 45A next to Diagnostyka, 1st floor in pavilions (over Ziko Apteka) | Monday - Friday 4 p.m. - 8 p.m. | ||
| dolnośląskie | |||
| PKD at the Specialist Medical Clinic TRR NZOZ, ul. Podwale 74 offices. 23; 50-449 Wrocław | 71 342 14 13 | Monday 9.00-12.00 thursday 9.00-12.00 | |
| Provincial Hospital Center of the Jelenia Góra Valley, 6 Ogińskiego Street, 58-506 Jelenia Góra | (75) 753 74 17 (75) 753 74 09 | Wednesday 15.00 - 18.00 Friday 15.00 - 17.00 | |
| PKD at the Department of Treatment of Alcohol Abstinence Teams of the Specialist Hospital. Sokołowskiego, ul. Batorego 4 58-300 Wałbrzych, | (74) 648 98 87 | Wednesday 14.30 - 18.30 | |
| PKD at the Multispecialist Hospital of SPZOZ, ul. Lubańska 11/12, 59-900 Zgorzelec | 75 77 22 959, 75 77 22 838 | Tuesday 12.30-14.30 | |
| lubuskie | PKD at ALDEMED Medical Center, ul. Niepodległości 1, 1st floor, room 110, 65-034 Zielona Góra | (68) 320 08 94 (TRR) |
Tuesday, Thursday 16.30-18.30 |
| PKD at the Provincial Sanitary and Epidemiological Station ul. Kazimierza Jagiellończyka 8B, 66-400 Gorzow Wielkopolski | 95 722 60 57 | Tuesday 15.00 - 18.00 | |
| lubelskie | PKD at the Collection Point of the He althcare Center SP ZOZ MSW, ul. Spokojna 3, 20-331 Lublin | 512 619 714 | Tuesday 16.00 - 18.30 Thursday 16.00 - 18.30 |
| Świętokrzyskie | PKD at the NZOZ "Nadzieja Rodzinie", ul. Karczówkowska 36, 25-711 Kielce | (41) 345 56 65 | Tuesday 16.00-18.00 Thursday 9.00-11.00 |
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