HIV Prevention

If you’ve been infected with HIV then you will probably notice a short flu-like illness within the first 2 – 6 weeks after you were exposed to the virus.

Some of the most common symptoms you’ll experience when this happens include:

• A fever or high temperature
• Sore throat
• Rash
• Feeling tired
• Joint and muscle pain
• Swollen glands

Although 80% of people experience this flu-like illness during the first few weeks of being exposed to HIV, it isn’t a surefire indicator of whether you’ve caught the virus.

If you’re at all concerned that you may have caught HIV, make sure to speak to your doctor immediately.

HIV is an infectious virus which can pass from person to person through bodily fluids, which is why the most common way that people catch HIV is by having vaginal or anal sex without a condom.

HIV can also be passed to someone else if you share a needle or syringe, or from a mother to their child during pregnancy or breastfeeding.

Aside from taking products like PrEP and PEP, some of the most effective ways you can prevent HIV include:

• Using a condom when you have sex
• Using water-based lube when you have sex, which can help to keep condoms from tearing and prevent tears in the anal or vaginal walls during sex
• If you use recreational drugs, do not share any needles, syringes, or other injecting equipment with anyone else
• Reducing your viral load to undetectable levels by using treatment as prevention

HIV, which stands for human immunodeficiency virus, is a type of virus which affects your immune system.

By weakening your immune system, HIV makes it more difficult for your body to fight off everyday illnesses, like infections or the flu.

When your immune system has been severely damaged by HIV, you may develop AIDS and AIDS-related illnesses, which can be potentially life-threatening.

However, if HIV is discovered early and treated effectively, the chances of developing AIDS-related illnesses become much lower, and most people will never experience it at all.

PEP is another type of HIV medication which is not the same as PrEP.

PEP stands for post-exposure prophylaxis, which means it’s used after you have been exposed to HIV to reduce your chances of becoming infected.

PEP should be started within 72 hours of potential exposure to HIV and is taken every day for a month.

If you take PrEP as recommended by its manufacturer, it will be 92 – 99% effective at reducing your risk of catching HIV.

You must remember to take PrEP every day if you want it to be as effective as possible, so you may want to consider setting a daily alarm or reminder that will help you to take your tablets on time.

A false positive is when you test positive for HIV, but you don’t have it. False positive tests can happen if you read the test wrong as positive or if you don’t follow the instructions properly. You might get a false positive if you don’t wait 15 minutes after eating or drinking or 30 minutes after using oral care products. Also, if you have participated in a HIV vaccine clinical trial or you have swiped each gum several times, this might lead to a false positive.

PrEP stands for pre-exposure prophylaxis, which means it’s a type of medication that can be used to offer you protection before you’re exposed to HIV.

PrEP products like Emtricitabine/Tenofovir tablets can effectively reduce your chances of contracting HIV and can be used with other precautions, such as condoms, to add another layer of protection from the virus.

PrEP is taken every day to maintain your protection for as long as you need it.