HOPE Clinic

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus that attacks the body’s immune system. If HIV is not treated, it can lead to AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome).

There is currently no cure. Once people get HIV, they have it for life, but with proper medical care, HIV can be controlled. People with HIV who get effective HIV treatment can live long, healthy lives and protect their partners.

Some people have flu-like symptoms within 2 to 4 weeks after infection (called acute HIV infection). These symptoms may last for a few days or several weeks. Possible symptoms include:

• Fever
• Chills
• Rash
• Night sweats
• Muscle aches
• Sore throat
• Fatigue
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Mouth ulcers

However, some people may not feel sick during acute HIV infection. Other illnesses can also cause these symptoms, so they do not necessarily indicate you have HIV. Getting tested is the only way to know for sure. See a healthcare provider if you have these symptoms and think you may have been exposed to HIV.

Ultimately, HIV is a virus that attacks the immune system and AIDS is a term that can only be used when HIV has caused severe damage to the immune system.

Every person who has AIDS has HIV, but not every person with HIV will develop AIDS. Since there are now many treatment options available to people living with HIV, far fewer people are developing AIDS. Those who develop AIDS are often those who never had HIV tests did not take their medication(s) as prescribed, or never underwent treatment. Once started on HIV treatment, death due to AIDS can be prevented.

HIV can be transmitted through blood, semen, rectal fluids, vaginal fluids, and breast milk of a person living with HIV who has a detectable viral load (measurement of the virus in the bloodstream).

For transmission to occur, the HIV in these fluids must get into the bloodstream of an HIV-negative person. This can happen through a mucous membrane (inner lining of body cavities), open cuts or sores, or by direct injection, such as sharing needles, syringes, or other drug injection equipment.

Transmission can also occur when a pregnant person living with HIV passes HIV to their unborn child. This is defined as perinatal transmission.

HIV can affect anyone regardless of sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, gender, age, or where they live.  However, certain groups of people in the United States are more likely to get HIV than others because of certain factors; including the communities in which they live, what subpopulations they belong to, and their risk behaviors.

• Communities. When you live in a community where many people have HIV, the chance of being exposed to HIV by having sex, sharing needles, or other injection equipment with someone who has HIV is higher.
• Subpopulations. In the United States, gay, bisexual, as well as men who have sex with men, are the populations most affected by HIV.
• Risk behaviors. In the United States, HIV is spread mainly through having anal or vaginal sex, by sharing needles or syringes with an HIV-positive partner.

Testing positive for HIV can feel overwhelming. However, it is important to remember that HIV can be treated with medicines that help people with HIV live longer, healthier lives and reduce their risk of transmission.

The first step after testing positive for HIV is to see a healthcare provider, even if you do not feel sick. Prompt medical care and treatment with HIV medicines is the best way to stay healthy and prevent HIV progression to AIDS.

If a test result is negative, no antibodies for HIV were detected. A negative test result can also indicate that a person is not infected with HIV or that a person has been exposed but their immune system has not had time to produce antibodies. False negative results may occur when a person is tested within the first few weeks after transmission.

If you feel that you are at an increased risk of acquiring HIV, contact your healthcare provider for additional testing and to discuss PrEP as a preventative measure to reduce risk of acquiring HIV.

HIV prevention tools are more accessible today than ever before. You can use strategies such as abstinence, never sharing needles, and using protection every time during sex. You may also be able to take advantage of HIV prevention medicines such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a medication taken to prevent HIV. PrEP, taken once daily, is highly effective for preventing HIV.

• PrEP reduces the risk of getting HIV by about 99% when taken as prescribed.
• Although there is less information about how effective PrEP is among people who inject drugs, we do know that PrEP reduces the risk of getting HIV by at least 74% when taken as prescribed.
• PrEP is much less effective when it is not taken as prescribed.

Most insurance plans and state Medicaid programs cover PrEP. There are also other programs that provide PrEP for free or at a reduced cost:

• Ready, Set, PrEP makes PrEP medication available at no cost to those who qualify.
• Co-pay assistance programs help lower the out-of-pocket costs of PrEP medications for those who are insured. Income is not a factor for eligibility.
• PrEP assistance programs cover medication for uninsured patients who qualify.

If you have HIV, there are many actions you can take to prevent transmitting HIV to others.

• Get and keep an undetectable viral load. If you take HIV medicine and get and keep an undetectable viral load, you have effectively no risk of transmitting HIV to an HIV-negative partner through sex.
• Encourage your partners to take PrEP. PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) is medicine people at risk for HIV take to prevent HIV. If taken as prescribed, PrEP is highly effective for preventing HIV from sex and injection drug use.
• Use protection every time. Condoms are highly effective in preventing HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), like gonorrhea and chlamydia.
• Get tested and treated for other STDs. If you get and keep an undetectable viral load, getting an STD does not appear to increase the risk of transmitting HIV. But STDs can cause other problems. If you have a detectable viral load, getting tested and treated for other STDs can help lower your chances of transmitting HIV.
• Never share needles, syringes, or other drug-injection equipment. Use new, clean syringes and injection equipment every time you inject.

You can download HIV prevention materials here: https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/basics/hiv-prevention/resources.html

HIV stigma is negative attitudes and beliefs about people with HIV. It is the prejudice that comes with labeling an individual as part of a group that is believed to be socially unacceptable.

Here are a few examples:

• Believing that only certain groups of people can get HIV
• Making moral judgments about people who take steps to prevent HIV transmission
• Feeling that people deserve to get HIV because of their choices

Talking openly about HIV can help normalize the subject. It also provides opportunities to correct misconceptions and help others learn more about HIV, but it is important to be mindful of how you talk about HIV and people living with HIV. “The Let’s Stop HIV Together” stigma language guide can help.

We can all help end HIV stigma through our words and actions in our everyday lives. Check out the “Let’s Stop HIV Together” stigma scenarios for tips on what you can do when you witness stigma.