If I or someone I know tests positive, what are my next steps? What are the treatment options?
For those who test positive for HIV, it is important to talk with a health care provider about what is the most appropriate treatment for them. It is also important to find support and resources within your community. While there is no cure for HIV, new combination drug therapies have been found highly effective for some in delaying the onset of AIDS. Additional, medications can help to prevent and treat any opportunistic infections. Another important reason to see a doctor is to monitor and maintain your health.
Remember, early diagnosis and consistent care from a health care professional are essential to best treat HIV.
One special note for pregnant women: Certain HIV treatments during pregnancy can significantly lower the chances that a woman with HIV will pass the virus on to her baby. Also, because all babies are born with their mothers' antibodies, they may test positive at birth if their mother is infected with HIV. So it's important that babies born to an HIV positive mother be tested again for HIV at 18 months of age, or according to a doctor's suggestion.
If you are HIV negative, it is important that you protect yourself – all the time. If you are having sex, make sure you know how to use a condom correctly and that you use one every time. Don't inject drugs or share needles. Also, if you didn't wait six months after your last possible exposure to HIV, you should get tested at the six-month mark.
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