HIV is a manageable chronic disease and is more preventable than ever before! From getting tested and knowing your status, to preventative options like PrEP and PEP, here are a few options to consider adding to your HIV prevention toolkit!
Get Tested. Getting tested for HIV and STIs is the first step in anyone’s HIV prevention journey. Depending on a person’s sexual health practices and activity, getting tested every 3-6 months can go a long way in preventing HIV and STIs. Untreated STIs make it easier to become positive after an exposure to HIV, so it is important to get tested.
Learn about Whitman-Walker Health’s testing hours and locations at whitman-walker.org/testing. Walk-in HIV and STI testing is available at the below locations, but be sure to check our website for the most up-to-date hours!
- Max Robinson Center, 2301 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE
- Whitman-Walker at 1525 14th Street NW
- Whitman-Walker Youth Services, 651 Pennsylvania Avenue SE
If you receive a negative HIV test result, ask about PrEP. PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis, is a daily pill that can prevent HIV. According to the CDC, when taken every day, this pill can prevent a person’s chance of HIV infection that is transmitted through sex by about 99%. Learn more at PrEPforDC.com! Contact Whitman-Walker’s PrEP team at 202.939.7690 or prepclinic@whitman-walker.org.
PrEP may be a good HIV prevention tool for you if you:
- Have been diagnosed with an STI in the last 6 months.
- Are sexually active and don’t always use external or insertive condoms.
- Are unsure of your sex partner’s HIV status.
- Are HIV-negative and are sexually active, or have a sex partner who is living with HIV.
- Identify as someone who injects drugs or are having sex with partner(s) who inject drugs.