How is hiv tested

HIV Testing. HIV Testing Topics. Other Resources. Get tailored information about your risk and learn how to protect yourself. Top of Page. More HIV Topics. Follow HIV. Links with this icon indicate that you are leaving the CDC website. Seek medical advice immediately if you think there's a chance you could have HIV. The earlier it's diagnosed, the earlier you can start treatment and avoid becoming seriously ill. Some HIV tests may need to be repeated months after exposure to HIV infection, but you should not wait this long to seek help.

A GP or a sexual health professional can talk to you about having a test and discuss whether you should take emergency HIV medicine. Anti-HIV medicine called post-exposure prophylaxis PEP may stop you becoming infected if taken within 72 hours of being exposed to the virus.

There are also home sampling and home testing kits you can use if you do not want to visit any of these places. Call a sexual health clinic if you need help or advice. Only go to a clinic if you've been told to. Find sexual health clinic contact details. A team approach will help you get the medical care and support that you need. Start by talking to your doctor or the counselor or social worker at the testing site. He or she can help you with suggestions on how to talk to your parents or guardians and how to find a health care provider who's an HIV specialist.

By starting treatment as soon as possible, you can stay healthy and learn to live well with HIV. Talk to your doctor or the counselor or social worker at the testing site to see if you need to get tested again. If your HIV test is negative, it does not necessarily mean your partner is negative too. The only way to be sure that your partner does not have HIV is for him or her to get tested.

Larger text size Large text size Regular text size. And you need to get checked regularly if you: have unprotected sex are a guy who has sex with other guys use needles to inject drugs Why Should Someone Get Tested for HIV? If someone is infected with HIV, it's important to know because: Starting medicines right away can keep a person stay healthy for a long time. There are ways to stop the spread of HIV to others, such as using a condom and taking medicines.

A pregnant woman who is infected can get treatment to try to prevent passing HIV to her baby. How Can I Get Tested? To get tested, you can: Ask your doctor to test you. Go to a local clinic or community health center.