Take steps towards various prevention methods, including PrEP if you test negative. Should you learn of positive results, find ways to quickly enter the treatment process and get the right health care. Take control of your life--HIV can be treated.
For those at risk, blood tests are necessary every 3-6 months to help ensure you know your status. Take charge and plan your life now.
Choose your clinic, and schedule an appointment
Testing early means knowing your status early. Getting tested has many benefits including:
Preventing new infections and transmission of HIV
If HIV is detected, immediate treatment is possible.
Preventing the development of HIV into AIDS.
Reducing the chance of contracting other complications.
The ability to plan for long-term relationships and having children.
Planning a long-term relationship where partners understand each other’s HIV status.
Relieving any anxieties of being at risk of HIV infection.
Currently, young people under the age of 18 can receive HIV counseling and testing services without requiring parental consent.
PrEP is an antiretroviral drug given to people who are not yet infected with HIV, but whose lifestyles are at high risk of HIV infection. Such at-risk behaviors include frequently changing sex partners, having penetrative sex, and injecting drugs. PrEP has been shown to be effective against HIV infection if taken as directed by a physician.
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Early access to antiretroviral therapy prevents complications, illnesses, and allows a person to be in good health. By taking antiretrovirals continuously, a person’s viral load in the bloodstream becomes suppressed. This reduces the chance of transmitting HIV to others, allowing people living with HIV to live normally with a similar life expectancy like any regular person.
Protected sex is always safe sex. Condoms do not just prevent contraception, but also reduce sexually transmitted infections. If you’re regularly sexually active, use PrEP. Be sure to always get regular STI check ups. And remember that unsafe sex always carries a risk of HIV infection.
