• Having unsafe sex of any kind with many partners increases your chances of being exposed to HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, and genital herpes.
• Being infected with other STDs makes you two to five times more likely to get HIV than a person who doesn’t have any STDs. So get tested (and treated, if necessary) for STDs. ^[1]
• Alcohol and drug use can contribute to increased risk for HIV and other STDs indirectly by impairing judgment and increasing the likelihood of participating in risky sex, and directly by sharing drug injection equipment.

• Always use a condom whether you are a top or a bottom
• Reduce your number of sex partners
• Don't abuse drugs and alcohol, which can lead to impaired and unsafe decisions
• Get tested for HIV and other STDs regularly (and get treated if you have HIV or an STD)
• Talk about your HIV status with your partner(s)

Provide results very quickly — in as little as 20 minutes. Similar to the traditional antibody tests, rapid tests use blood from a vein, finger stick, urine or oral fluid to look for antibodies to HIV. As is true for all screening tests, a positive reactive rapid HIV test result must be confirmed with a follow-up test before a diagnosis can be made. Rapid tests have similar accuracy rates as other traditional screening tests.

• Blood tests use blood drawn from a vein and are the most common screening test used to look for HIV antibodies (special proteins the body makes to fight HIV when it enters the body). A positive result has to be confirmed with a follow-up test to make a positive diagnosis. If the blood gets sent to an outside laboratory for testing, it may take anywhere from one to seven days to get the results.
• Oral fluid tests use oral fluid (not saliva) that is collected from the mouth using a special collection device. If the fluid gets sent to an outside laboratory for testing, it may take anywhere from one to seven days to get the results.
• Urine Tests use urine to look for antibodies to HIV and are not as accurate or effective as blood and oral fluid tests. Traditional urine tests can take up to one week for results if the sample has to be sent to a laboratory.

Look for the genetic material of HIV and are used in screening the blood supply and for detection of rare, very early infection cases when antibody tests are not yet able to detect antibodies to HIV.

Sometimes advertised through the Internet, but the only one approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is the Home Access HIV-1 Test System. The accuracy of other home test kits cannot be verified.

When a person first gets HIV, the body has no defense against the virus. This means that the virus will make a lot of copies of itself, and the newly infected person will be highly infectious. After a few weeks, the body’s immune system begins fighting the virus, and the amount of virus in the blood will decrease.

However, HIV attacks the cells that normally defend the body against illness (called T-Cells or CD4 cells). If someone is infected with HIV and doesn’t get treatment, the virus will eventually overwhelm his or her immune system and usually leads to acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). That’s why it is important to get tested, and if HIV infection is detected, to seek medical treatment as soon as possible.

The stages of HIV are:

• Acute HIV Infection — Acute HIV Infection occurs as early as two weeks after someone becomes infected (but sometimes can happen as late as three months later). During this time, a person is very infectious. The amount of HIV in blood and other body fluids, such as cum and pre-cum, is very high, meaning HIV can be passed on very easily to others. Some people have flu-like symptoms during this time, but others have no symptoms at all. Symptoms can include night sweats, swollen lymph nodes, sore throat, rash, fatigue, muscle aches, and ulcers in the mouth. If you think you may have been exposed to HIV and are experiencing any of these symptoms, talk to your healthcare provider and get an HIV test as soon as possible. If you are infected, it is important to talk with your healthcare provider to get on a treatment plan and make sure you don’t give HIV to someone else.
• Clinical Latency (Dormancy or Inactivity) — After the initial infection, the HIV virus becomes less active in the body, but is still present. This period can last up to ten years (sometimes longer), and many people do not have any symptoms of HIV during this period. However, they can still give the infection to others at this time and the virus is still causing harm to their bodies. Appropriate treatment can help prolong this period of inactivity and allow a person with HIV to lead a longer and healthier life.
• AIDS — This is the last stage of HIV infection, which occurs when a person’s immune system has become badly damaged by the virus and has become susceptible to opportunistic infections (illnesses that attack weakened immune systems). Symptoms can include diarrhea, night sweats, fatigue, fever, chills, vomiting, and severe weight loss. Without treatment, people who are diagnosed with AIDS typically survive about three years. Once someone has a dangerous opportunistic infection, such as pneumonia, life expectancy falls to about one year.

Getting treatment for HIV can save your life and protect others. There is no cure for HIV, nor is there a vaccination to prevent it. However, there are medications than can help those infected with HIV live with the disease and lengthen their lives. To learn more about HIV treatment options, check out CDC's HIV/AIDS treatment website.