Taking an HIV test

Having an HIV test usually means giving a small sample of blood for testing. In the UK and many other countries, HIV testing is free of charge and the result is confidential.

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Taking an HIV test news selected from other sources

  • Here’s why you test positive for HIV if you’re undetectable

    Why might people living with HIV get tested for HIV? Now that we know undetectable equals untransmittable (U=U), some people may have the misconception that if you’re undetectable, you will no longer test positive for HIV. They may think that if they test HIV-negative on an HIV test, they’ll be able to show this to their sex partners as a way to “prove” that they’re undetectable and untransmittable. Or, they may think it will be easier to tell partners they’re HIV-negative rather than undetectable and uninfectious.

    11 June 2019 | San Francisco AIDS Foundation

  • Drop in new diagnoses shows the importance of HIV testing in ending HIV

    Matthew Hodson says the UK can celebrate its latest HIV statistics but country must keep up its momentum - and you can play your part.

    30 November 2018 | Gay Star News

  • New York State May Soon Finally Eliminate Explicit Consent From HIV Testing in Care Settings

    Most of the HIV advocacy community in New York City and the state at large now agree that the current law still obstructs testing for health providers -- largely because they find it awkward asking patients if they can test for HIV.

    30 November 2018 | The Body

  • How age and ethnicity impact HIV testing

    Researchers in California argue that interventions are urgently needed to reach older adults and Hispanics to address HIV testing and beliefs. Older adults, in particular women, did not see themselves at risk of HIV.

    06 August 2018 | Science Daily

  • This is what happened when I ordered my first home-testing STI kit

    David Hudson says LGBTI people living in London are increasingly going to be asked to test themselves when it comes to their sexual health

    25 May 2018 | Gay Star News

  • 'The earlier you go, the longer you live': HIV self-testing in South Africa

    In a country where people with HIV suffer hugely from discrimination, the privacy afforded by self-testing is having a positive impact on rates of diagnosis and treatment.

    16 April 2018 | The Guardian

  • You Can Order a Dozen STD Tests Online — But Should You?

    Startups are popping up online to help serve what they see as unmet demand for STD testing. The question is whether those companies can survive — at least one left the market before its product even launched — and whether the services they offer get the right tests to the right people.

    22 August 2017 | NPR

  • OraSure Technologies Receives World Health Organization Prequalification of OraQuick® HIV Self-Test

    OraSure Technologies, Inc., a leader in point of care diagnostic tests and specimen collection devices, today announced that its OraQuick® HIV Self-Test (HIVST) has been Prequalified by the World Health Organization (WHO).

    22 July 2017 | Orasure press release

  • I Found Out I Was HIV Positive at a Gay Bar

    What it's like to emerge from a life-changing moment into the arms of strangers.

    21 June 2017 | Vice

  • DIY HIV Prevention (#DIYHIVPx)

    No. I do not want to test for HIV in the “comfort of my home.” There is a real danger that such form of testing becomes a one-size-fits-all tool and that we will repeat the errors of the past (that of condom-only prevention, or abstinence-only). Home testing/sampling should not become a replacement for testing in conventional and community settings and disinvestment in this form of testing is a mistake.

    19 June 2017 | Incidence 0
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Community Consensus Statement on Access to HIV Treatment and its Use for Prevention

Together, we can make it happen

We can end HIV soon if people have equal access to HIV drugs as treatment and as PrEP, and have free choice over whether to take them.

Launched today, the Community Consensus Statement is a basic set of principles aimed at making sure that happens.

The Community Consensus Statement is a joint initiative of AVAC, EATG, MSMGF, GNP+, HIV i-Base, the International HIV/AIDS Alliance, ITPC and NAM/aidsmap
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This content was checked for accuracy at the time it was written. It may have been superseded by more recent developments. NAM recommends checking whether this is the most current information when making decisions that may affect your health.

NAM’s information is intended to support, rather than replace, consultation with a healthcare professional. Talk to your doctor or another member of your healthcare team for advice tailored to your situation.