In honor of National HIV Testing Day, Monday June 27th, OACHC encourages you to spread awareness on the importance of getting tested for HIV. HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is the virus that causes AIDS.
How Can You Know if You Are HIV Positive?
The only way to know if you have HIV is to get tested. Many people with HIV don’t have any symptoms. In the United States, 1 in 8 people living with HIV don’t know they have it.
Even if you don’t feel sick, getting early treatment for HIV is important. Early treatment can help you live a longer, healthier life. Treatment can also make it less likely that you will pass HIV on to other people.
Am I at risk for HIV?
HIV is spread through some of the body’s fluids, like blood, semen, vaginal fluids, and breast milk. HIV is passed from one person to another by:
- Having sex (vaginal, anal, or oral) without a condom or dental dam with a person who has HIV
- Sharing needles with someone who has HIV
- Breastfeeding, pregnancy, or childbirth if the mother has HIV
- Getting a transfusion of blood that’s infected with HIV (very rare in the United States)
Get Tested
- Call a Community Health Center near you to make an appointment
- Use this tool to find a facility that tests for HIV (many are Community Health Centers)
Learn More
- Info from aids.gov
- Prevention
- Living with HIV
- HIV Basics
- Act Against AIDS
- CDC testing information
- FAQs
- STD Testing Convo Starters
- Talking to your kids
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