HIV is a manageable chronic disease and is more preventable than ever before! From getting tested and knowing your status, to preventative options like PrEP and PEP, here are a few options to consider adding to your HIV prevention toolkit!
Get Tested. Getting tested for HIV and STIs is the first step in anyone’s HIV prevention journey. Depending on a person’s sexual health practices and activity, getting tested every 3-6 months can go a long way in preventing HIV and STIs. Untreated STIs make it easier to become positive after an exposure to HIV, so it is important to get tested.
Learn about Whitman-Walker Health’s testing hours and locations at whitman-walker.org/testing. Walk-in HIV and STI testing is available at the below locations, but be sure to check our website for the most up-to-date hours!
PrEP may be a good HIV prevention tool for you if you:
People living with HIV who take their treatment as prescribed can achieve an undetectable viral load. An undetectable viral load means there is effectively no risk of a person transmitting HIV sexually. This is known as “U Equals U” or Undetectable = Untransmittable. Missing just a few days of treatment could mean regaining a detectable viral load, so it is important to take your treatment as prescribed.
Start treatment. To start treatment, walk into either of Whitman-Walker’s Logan Circle or Anacostia health centers and say “Red Carpet” to the client services representative. You can also call us at 202.745.7000 or email us at appointments@whitman-walker.org to schedule an appointment. Just mention “Red Carpet” and our team can help you start treatment for HIV.
If your community or organization is interested in the Whitman-Walker providing mobile health services in your neighborhood, contact mobilehealth@whitman-walker.org or 202-487-0067. Access PrEP, PEP or start treatment for HIV with Whitman-Walker Health at Max Robinson Center, 2301 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE or Whitman-Walker at 1525 14th Street NW.
The best part of your blog is when you suggested asking for pre-exposure prophylaxis if you are HIV-negative but are sexually active. I will surely share this with my best friend since she has the tendency to change sex partners every now and then, and I want her to be protected from HIV. She also mentioned the other day over a 10-minute phone call that she was unsure of her current partner’s HIV status.
Thanks for this guide to HIV prevention. I appreciate that you mentioned that it’s important to get tested regularly. I think it would help everyone to know more about HIV and how to prevent it.
Whether uncovered HIV thru consensual or non-consensual sex or sharing needles and works, it’s miles essential to are searching for PEP within seventy-two hours of publicity of HIV for it to be effective. Thanks for sharing this blog you provide a really good information for hiv patient