HIV Testing is Self-Care

American Indian Health Service of Chicago follows CDC and WHO in the treatments and guides for greater and better self care which includes HIV testing and awareness. The CDC recommends that everyone between the ages of 13 and 64 get tested for HIV at least once. People with certain risk factors should get tested at least once a year, and sexually active gay and bisexual men may benefit from more frequent testing (every 3 to 6 months).

CDC’s HIV Testing Guidelines

CDC’s HIV testing guidelines provide comprehensive information on who should get tested for HIV and how often. Yet, despite these recommendations, 1 in 8 people with HIV in the United States still do not know they have the virus and nearly 40% of new infections are transmitted by people with undiagnosed HIV. For people who are unaware of their status, HIV testing is the pathway to engaging in HIV prevention and treatment services.

Everyone needs to know their HIV status. It is particularly important for people with HIV to be aware of their status so they can begin HIV treatment (antiretroviral therapy) to improve their health. People with HIV who take HIV treatment as prescribed and get and keep an undetectable viral load (or stay virally suppressed) can live long, healthy lives and will not transmit HIV to their sex partners. This is also referred to as “Undetectable=Untransmittable” or “U=U.” For people who do not have HIV, testing can be the bridge to effective prevention tools such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), condoms, and other HIV prevention services.