HIV, if left untreated, can cause AIDS – Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. This is the last stage of HIV infection. In this condition, the body’s immune system becomes too weak to fight against any kind of infection. As a result, the body becomes vulnerable to catching opportunistic infections.

AIDS is often fatal.

However, HIV infection is not.

If treated on time, it is possible to manage HIV infection in such an effective manner that you can bring the viral load down to a significant level. At this level, the patient can live a healthier life, including indulging in sexual activities without spreading the infection to his/her partner.

You can get tested for HIV in Arlington at your nearest STD clinic. This is an important step towards a healthy sexual life.

Steps to get tested

• Walk into the STD clinic near you. No prior appointment is needed to consult a doctor or undergo a test here.
• Ask for a HIV test. There is hardly any waiting time in the clinic.
• You may be required to give a blood sample. Most tests detect antibodies in blood.
• You can request the staff to keep your identity confidential. If you want, do the billing anonymously.
• The doctors will contact you as soon as test results arrive.
• If you are positive, the doctor would immediately begin Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART).
• If you are negative but still doubtful, the doctor would ask for a re-test after a few days.
• For high-risk exposure patients, doctors may begin PrEP (Pre Exposure Prophylaxis) treatment. This high-effective treatment is relevant only when you visit the clinic for HIV screening in Arlington within 72 hours of exposure.

Who is at more risk of contracting HIV?

HIV can infect anybody, irrespective of their age, race, gender, ethnicity, sexual behavior, or place of living. However, certain people in the United States are at higher risk than others due to their community, sexual behavior, and presence of other STDs.

In America, bisexual, gay, and other men having sex with men are at the highest risk of getting HIV. It is found that, in America, HIV spreads mainly through vaginal and anal sex, plus through sharing of needles. Anal sex tops the list of factors that put people at great risk of contracting HIV.

As per CDC’s 2018 figures, bisexual men and gays constituted 69 per cent of new HIV cases.

If we talk of race or ethnicity, it is found that Hispanics/Latinos and African Americans are disproportionately affected by this virus as compared to other races.

However, as doctors put it, if you have unprotected sex with somebody infected with HIV, you are bound to get HIV.

This is not all. If you have other STDs like gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia, herpes, or bacterial vaginosis, you become more vulnerable to contracting HIV infection.

The only way to know whether you are infected or not is to undergo a test. So, if you are in doubt or recently had unprotected sex with a new partner, get tested for HIV in Arlington today.