prevented infections. More than 1 million people had HIV in the United States in late 2019.
Access to care varies widely, with HIV affecting disproportionate numbers of Black and Hispanic Americans.
U.S. goals include reducing those inequities while preventing new HIV infections and improving outcomes for those who do have HIV.
According to the CDC, there are more tools than ever available today to prevent HIV.
These strategies include abstinence (not having sex), never sharing needles, and using condoms the right way every time you have sex.
You can also take advantage of HIV prevention medicines such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). If you have HIV, there are many actions you can take to prevent transmitting HIV to others. For more information about these options, click here.
For those already living with HIV or AIDS, it is important to make choices that keep you healthy and protect others. For more information and tools on living with HIV or AIDS, click here.
Most people who have HIV develop flu-like symptoms within 2 to 4 weeks after infection. These symptoms may last for a few days or several weeks. However, having these symptoms alone doesn’t mean you have HIV. Other illnesses can cause similar symptoms and others may have no symptoms at all. The only way to know if you have HIV is to get tested.