Frequently Asked Questions
Our website’s FAQ section is a go-to resource for our customers to find quick and easy answers to commonly asked questions about our products, services, and policies. We keep the section up to date, accurate, and relevant to provide a seamless and hassle-free experience for our users.
What is Telehealth?
Telehealth offers remote medical care, reducing exposure to illness. Our organization provides various telemedicine services, allowing patients to access care conveniently and safely.
What about the cost?
Our organization offers affordable medical care to both insured and uninsured patients, with payment options to ensure accessibility. We strive to provide excellent care to all.
What if i need a Face to Face Consultation?
We offer telehealth for convenient care, but also provide in-person services. Our experienced team provides personalized care for seamless medical services.
WHAT IS HIV?
HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. It’s the virus that can cause AIDS. HIV infects humans and causes damage by taking over cells in the immune system–the part of the body that usually works to fight off germs, bacteria and disease.
Is HIV Virus Curable?
There is no cure for HIV, but you can control it with HIV treatment. Most people can get the virus under control within six months. HIV treatment does not prevent transmission of other sexually transmitted diseases.
How do I control the HIV Virus and become undetectable?
People with HIV can get and keep an undetectable viral load by taking HIV medicine (called antiretroviral therapy or ART) exactly as prescribed. Almost everyone who takes HIV medicine as prescribed can reach an undetectable viral load, usually within one to six months after starting treatment.
WHAT DOES “UNDETECTABLE” MEAN?
The goal of antiretrovirals is to suppress the ability of the virus to replicate, lowering the presence of virus in your body to “undetectable” levels.
Being undetectable means there are so few copies of the virus in your body that it can’t be measured by standard viral load tests. If you are undetectable, you will still test positive on common HIV antibody tests because they do not measure viral load, but rather antibodies to the virus that persist despite changes in the level of virus in the bloodstream.
HIV Treatment & Undetectable
Today’s HIV treatments, called antiretroviral therapy or ART, are extremely effective. Some treatments are a single tablet. Long-acting injectable medications are likely to be approved and available soon. Medicine has come a long way since the first HIV treatment options became available in the 1990s.
WHAT IS VIRAL LOAD?
“Viral load” is a term that describes how much virus a person living with HIV has in their body.
Without HIV medications, the virus replicates (makes copies of itself) which causes the amount of virus in the body to increase.
HIV medications prevent HIV from making copies of itself. Then, the amount of HIV in the body goes down.
To see how well HIV treatments are working, doctors and other providers measure the amount of virus in the blood and report a measurement called your “viral load.” It’s simply a measurement of how many copies of the virus are in a single unit (a milliliter) of blood.
A very low amount of virus may even be “undetectable” by viral load tests (this is a good thing, and often the goal of treatment). A common “undetectable” level is <20 copies per milliliter of blood. “Low” viral loads are those that are less than 200 copies per milliliter. Very high viral loads can be over 500,000 copies per milliliter.
HOW DOES HIV BECOME AIDS?
AIDS begins with HIV infection. People who have HIV may have no symptoms for 10 years or longer (though they can still transmit HIV to others). If the infection is not detected and treated, the immune system gradually weakens and AIDS develops. But, if the infection is identified, today’s extremely effective treatments can lower the amount of HIV in the body to undetectable levels, resulting in much better health (and the virus won’t be transmitted to others).
How well does PEP work?
If taken within 72 hours after possible exposure, PEP is highly effective in preventing HIV. But to be safe, you should take other actions to protect your partners while you are taking PEP. This includes always using condoms with sexual partners and not sharing needles, syringes, or other equipment to inject drugs.
If I take PrEP medication, Will that help me prevent HIV virus?
Yes. PrEP (short for HIV Pre Exposure Prophylaxis) involves working with a healthcare provider to make an individualized plan to take medication to prevent HIV. Clinical trials have shown that PrEP is 99% effective at reducing sexual transmission of HIV.
PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) can reduce your chance of getting HIV from sex or injection drug use. When taken as prescribed, PrEP is highly effective for preventing HIV.
Are there any side effects for pep?
• PEP is safe but may cause side effects like nausea in some people.
• In almost all cases, these side effects can be treated and aren’t life-threatening.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF AIDS?
There is not one set of symptoms that defines AIDS. When immune system damage is severe, people experience opportunistic infections. The term “opportunistic” refers to infections caused by things which our immune systems can usually defend against.
Some examples are shingles, Kaposi’s sarcoma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, thrush, tuberculosis, and candida esophagitis. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has a more detailed list of illnesses that are common as AIDS progresses.
In the past, having AIDS was defined as having HIV infection and getting one of these other diseases. Today, a person may also be diagnosed with AIDS if they are living with HIV and have a CD4 cell (a type of immune system cell) count below 200 cells per cubic millimeter, even without an opportunistic infection.
The NIH website is a good resource for a more detailed listing and description of medical diagnosis of AIDS.
CAN I GET HIV FROM ORAL SEX OR A BLOWJOB?
Oral sex is “low risk” in terms of HIV transmission. That means, you probably will not get HIV from giving or receiving oral sex. Having cuts or sores in your mouth, gum disease, having a sexually-transmitted infection (STI) in your throat, or recent dental work increases your risk.
Although the chance of getting infected with HIV from oral sex is very low, you can get other STIs such as gonorrhea and chlamydia if you give or receive oral sex.
You can prevent STI infection during oral sex by using a condom or dental dam. You can prevent further transmission of STIs by regularly getting tested and treated for STIs.
CAN I GET HIV FROM KISSING?
NO. HIV is not transmitted by kissing.
WHAT IS HIV TEST WINDOW PERIOD?
There’s a period of time after a person is infected during which they won’t test positive. This is called the HIV “window period.”
The window period can be from 10 days to three months, depending on the person’s body and on the type of HIV test that’s used. During that time, you can test HIV-negative even though you’re HIV-positive. You can still get HIV from someone who is in the window period.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN ANONYMOUS AND CONFIDENTIAL HIV TEST?
Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.
WHAT IS AIDS?
AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. AIDS is a group of symptoms that can eventually result from an HIV infection if it’s not treated. AIDS is often considered an advanced stage of HIV infection, causing damage to the body’s immune system and ongoing inflammation. When that happens, the body may not be able to fight off certain types of illnesses or cancers. When the body’s immune system is damaged to a certain level because of HIV, this can mean a person is diagnosed with AIDS.
WHAT DO THE ACRONYMS HIV AND AIDS STAND FOR?
• HIV and AIDS are terms that are often used together, and sometimes are used interchangeably, though they are not the same thing.
• HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus.
• AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.
• Often, the difference isn’t clear because many people write “HIV/AIDS,” but remember, HIV and AIDS aren’t the same
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF HIV?
If you think you may have been infected with HIV, find a place to get a free, confidential HIV test List all AHC Allies. If you are worried about a recent potential exposure, go to the emergency room and ask for PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) as soon as you can. PEP can prevent HIV infection in someone who has been recently exposed to HIV if it’s started within 72 hours (three days) of the possible infection. Effectiveness is increased the earlier PEP is begun after the exposure.
You can have HIV and not have any symptoms, and some HIV tests will not show a positive result for as long as three months after infection. This is referred to as the HIV test window period and has to do with how HIV tests detect the virus.
Some people recently infected with HIV will experience some “flu-like” symptoms. These might include:
• Fever
• Severe fatigue
• A non-itchy rash
• Swollen glands/lymph nodes
• Muscle aches
• Sore throat
• Night sweats
• Sores or ulcers in your mouth
HOW IS HIV TRANSMITTED?
How do you get infected with HIV? How is HIV transmitted? How do you catch HIV? How do you get AIDS?
You can’t “catch” AIDS; you only develop AIDS if you have contracted HIV.
HIV can only be transmitted from a person living with HIV who has a detectable viral load to another person through direct contact of the following bodily fluids:
-Blood (including menstrual blood)
-Semen / cum / precum / ejaculate
-Vaginal secretions
-Breast milk
HIV may pass from one person to another any time there is contact with semen, pre-cum, vaginal fluids or blood. HIV is oftentimes transmitted during sex and when using injection drugs and sharing needles. Mothers can also transmit HIV to their babies before or during birth or while breastfeeding, although this is very rare in the U.S. and in other places where mothers living with HIV have access to health care services.
People living with HIV who are taking HIV medications and have a suppressed viral load (who are “undetectable”) do not transmit HIV. People who are HIV-negative can prevent HIV infection with by using PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis).
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HIV AND AIDS?
HIV is a virus. AIDS is a condition caused by HIV.
You can have HIV without developing AIDS and many people live for many years with HIV without ever developing AIDS. But if you have AIDS, you have to have HIV.
WHAT DO HIV TEST RESULTS MEAN?
A positive HIV test result means that:
Depending on the type of HIV test, either HIV virus or antibodies to the virus were detected in your blood.
You are “HIV-positive.”
A negative HIV test result means that:
No indication of HIV or antibodies specific to HIV was found by the test.
A negative HIV test result does NOT mean:
– It does not absolutely mean you are not infected with HIV (you might still be in the window period)
– It does not mean you are immune to HIV
– It does not mean you have a resistance to HIV infection
– It does not mean you will never get HIV
– If you are having sex, we recommend getting tested every three months.
ISN’T EVERYTHING SEXUAL RISKY?
It’s easier to get HIV from some types of sex than others.
Generally:
1. Oral sex is a great way to minimize your exposure to HIV.
2. Oral, anal and vaginal sex with a condom can prevent HIV transmission.
3. For men who have sex with men, topping without a condom is less likely to transmit HIV than bottoming without a condom.
4. People living with HIV who take their medications and remain virally suppressed (are undetectable) do not transmit HIV to other people.
5. People who are HIV-negative can take PrEP to prevent HIV infection.
Can an HIV-negative person have sex with a person who is living with HIV and stay HIV-negative?
Yes. Many people prevent HIV infection with PrEP, using condoms and lube, or by ensuring that the partner living with HIV is on HIV medications and remains virally suppressed.
The most common means of becoming HIV positive for men who have sex with men is bottoming without a condom.
Consider PrEP if you are worried about HIV transmission and/or do not always use condoms.
If I was not careful while having sex or did not use protection and I am suspicious the other person may have the HIV virus, what can I do?
PEP Must Be Started Within 72 Hours of Possible Exposure to HIV
Talk right away (within 72 hours) to your health care provider, an emergency room doctor, or an urgent care provider about PEP if you think you’ve recently been exposed to HIV: during sex (for example, if the condom broke), through sharing needles, syringes, or other equipment to inject drugs (for example, cookers), or f you were sexually assaulted, The sooner you start PEP, the better. Every hour counts. If you’re prescribed PEP, you’ll need to take it daily for 28 days.
HOW LONG AFTER A POSSIBLE EXPOSURE SHOULD I BE TESTED FOR HIV?
If you think you have been exposed to HIV, find a place to get a free, confidential HIV test right away. It may be appropriate for you to start medication immediately. This what’s called post-exposure prophylaxis, or PEP (Learn more about PEP). Starting PEP within 72 hours of an HIV exposure can prevent you from becoming HIV-positive (also known as seroconverting). Starting PEP as soon as possible after exposure is best. A trained test counselor will help assess your risk and recommend whether or not PEP is right for you.
The time it takes for a person who has been infected with HIV to show a positive test result is called the “window period.” There are different types of HIV tests, and each type has a different window period. Ask your local HIV organization or medical provider what type of test they are offering. They will be able to give you more information about how long it might take for a person with HIV to test positive with the test they are using.
If you think you have been exposed to HIV, get tested and talk to your HIV counselor about testing and PEP. You can also access HIV testing and PEP at most hospital emergency departments.
WHAT'S THE WINDOW PERIOD FOR DIFFERENT TYPES OF HIV TESTS?
The HIV test window period varies depending on what kind of HIV test you take. We recommend getting tested every three months if you’re having sex.
Rapid HIV antibody tests give a positive result based on antibodies your body makes to respond to HIV. Rapid HIV antibody tests do not test the virus itself. It takes your body up to three months to produce HIV antibodies at levels that can be detected by this test.
Can a baby of a mother with HIV virus be born healthy?
Yes, it’s possible for an HIV-positive woman to give birth to a baby who does not have HIV. If you’re HIV-positive and are pregnant, you should consult a healthcare provider who knows about HIV disease. Without treatment, about 25 percent of babies born to women with HIV are also infected.
English 
Español de México