Sexual Assault/Rape - What You Need To Know
(Adapted From: HIV and Sexual Assault, AIDS Committee of Ottawa, Women's Project Pamphlet).

The only way to get HIV is by getting HIV infected blood, semen, or vaginal fluid into your blood stream.

Am I At Risk For HIV?

You may not be able to think about the assault for some time and you may not remember everything that happened. You could be at risk for HIV:

• If the rapist wasn't wearing a condom when he put his penis into your vagina or anus - even if he pulled out before ejaculating.
  
  
• If you had a cut or open wound and his infected semen and/or his infected blood mixed with your blood on your open cut or wound (if the assaulter bit or scratched you or if he raped you with an object such as a knife, bottle or piece of wood, he could have cut you).
  
  
• If the rapist wasn't wearing a condom when he put his penis in your mouth, and you had sores or were bleeding on the inside of your mouth or lips. Any open cut or wound where there could have been an exchange of blood or semen could put you at risk for HIV.

After The Assault

Get medical attention as soon as possible. If you need emergency treatment, go to a hospital. If you could be at risk for pregnancy because of the assault, one of your options is to ask for the morning after pill.

There are three types of examinations that you may want to consider:

1. STD Screening
You should get a Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) screening 10 to 14 days after the assault. This will check for STD's such as chlamydia, syphilis and gonorrhea.

2. HIV Test
If you have been infected with HIV, you won't feel any different or notice any symptoms. The only way to find out is by having an HIV blood test. After the HIV infection, your body begins to make antibodies trying to fight off the virus. It will take between 3 to 6 months for your body to produce enough antibodies to be seen in a blood test. The test checks your blood for the antibodies. If you feel that the assault put you at risk for HIV infection, you may wish to wait until you body has produced antibodies before you get tested (3 to 6 months). This waiting time can be scary for you. You may wish to talk to someone right away. Call your nearest HIV/AIDS group or Rape Crisis/Sexual Assault Centre for information and counselling.

How Does The HIV Test Work?

There is only one blood test, but there are three ways of getting the results.

1. Anonymous Testing: You are given a secret code. You don't have to give a name or health card number. No one knows the results but you. The test is done at an anonymous HIV testing clinic.
   
   
2. Confidential Testing: You are given a secret code, but this time the doctor knows the secret code also. Only you and your doctor know the results of the test. If the test results are positive, which means you have been infected with HIV, the doctor has to report these results to the Medical Officer. The test is done at a special clinic for sexually transmitted diseases (STD Clinic) or in the doctor's office or clinic.
   
   
3. Nominal Testing: When you get tested this way, you give your name. The results come under your name. Your identity is not protected from anyone. If the test results are positive, the doctor has to report these results to the Medical Officer. The test is done in a doctor's office or a medical clinic. Being tested for HIV is important, and you need to think about it. If you decide to get tested, be sure to talk to a counsellor about HIV and AIDS before and after the test.

3. Evidence/Rape Kit
If you called the police within several hours of the rape, they will want you to go to a hospital to undergo a sexual assault evidence examination using a special kit. This is not necessary for your own personal health. The regular medical check by your own doctor is good enough.

The evidence/rape kit, which includes a medical exam and the gathering of tissue and fluid samples, is used if you want to lay charges against the attacker. You can still receive medical treatment and not press charges.

You should be tested for HIV only with your consent, that is, if you are told it is being done. A doctor will look for evidence of the assault such as sperm in your vagina or anus, hair or skin under your fingernails, bruises and cuts. Many women have found this examination to be very long, embarrassing and humiliating. You can get accompaniment from a sexual assault centre.

Reporting Procedures - HIV and Sexual Assault

The evidence kit is needed only if you are going to press charges. Treatment will be recommended to those who are considered to be at high risk for infection; such as gay men who are raped, and women who are internally injured. The drug therapy is intensive and continues for one month.

The Ottawa-Carleton Regional Sexual Assault Program is currently in the process of establishing a protocol for the use of a similar post-exposure prophylaxis. Only you can decide if you want to press charges.

Some doctors and police ask women to have an HIV test as part of the evidence kit. It is your choice. Remember, if the rapist infected you during the assault, your body won't produce enough antibodies to show up on the HIV test until 3-6 months after the assault. If you test positive right after the assault, this means you already had HIV when you were assaulted. The rapist could try to use this information against you.

It is up to you to make that decision. If you are unsure about what to do, get counselling. It is important to know that there is support available.

Use of the new Post-Exposure HIV Preventative Drugs

Hospitals out in B.C. are the first to begin using HIV preventative drug treatment of victims of rape. Previously, drugs were administered to health care workers who had been exposed to the virus through needle stick injuries. To date, studies have not proven that treating rape victims with anti-retroviral drug therapy can avoid HIV infection. However, the hope is that the results from the needle stick studies will be the same.