HIV Care
HIV Testing in Florida
When you contract human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), there aren’t always symptoms — at first. In fact, there’s usually a 30-day window where no symptoms appear. That’s why it’s critical to get tested as soon as you suspect you may have been exposed to the virus. You may also choose to be tested if you’re starting a new relationship. If you test positive, doctors can provide treatment that ensures you have the best chances for a long, healthy life. If you test negative, you’ll have peace of mind, knowing you took the right step to protect your health. HIV testing in Florida is easy, quick, and convenient. Find out more about what the test is, what the test looks for, and what the virus does to your body.
What Is HIV?
HIV is a virus that attacks your immune system, particularly your T cells, which are the cells that fight off infections. Over time, the virus weakens the body’s immune system, making it difficult to avoid illness.
How HIV Spreads and Works
HIV enters your body and attaches itself to the DNA of your T cells, using them to replicate. T cells are part of your body’s immune system and are crucial to fighting allergens, respiratory illnesses, and even cancers. As the virus destroys more of your T cells, the remaining cells become significantly weaker. When the immune system is weakened and no longer able to fight off infections, the disease progresses to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).
HIV is spread primarily through bodily fluids, such as blood, semen, rectal fluids, and breast milk. Here are ways HIV can spread:
- Unprotected sex with an infected person
- Sharing needles or syringes
- Blood transfusions from an infected person
- From mother to child through breast milk
Many people have a misconception that HIV is spread through hugging or simply touching another person. It is not. It is important to understand what HIV is and how it spreads to encourage early testing and safe sexual practices.
Symptoms of HIV Infection
Some people will show initial symptoms after two to four weeks of infection. Symptoms can include:
- Flu-like symptoms
- Fever
- Headache
- Muscle pains
- Joint pains
- Sore throat
- Diarrhea
- Night sweats
- Swollen lymph glands, primarily on the neck
At this stage, there is a high viral load in your bloodstream, and you can easily infect others. As the virus continues to spread throughout your body, you will begin to show long-term symptoms. These include:
- Fever
- Weight loss
- Fatigue
- Shingles
- Oral yeast infection
- Pneumonia
If you do not get treatment, the disease will progress into AIDS, and these symptoms include:
- Significant weight loss
- Constant fatigue
- White spots on the tongue or in the mouth
- Sweats
- Chills
- Persistent fever
- Skin rashes
Why Get Tested for HIV?
Getting tested for HIV is one of the best ways you can ensure your well-being and the well-being of others. It’s important to note that HIV symptoms don’t show up immediately, so it may be a while before you realize you’re infected.
The Importance of Early Detection
If you test positive for HIV, the sooner you get treatment, the better your chances of survival. Treatment can keep the virus under control and lower it to undetectable levels. In so doing, you won’t pass it on to your sexual partners.
If you’re worried about the testing process, know that it is easy and fast. Most testing centers take a blood sample or an oral swab, and the process is complete within minutes.
Remember that HIV can affect anyone of any ethnicity, background, or culture. This is why getting tested is important, especially if you fall into a high-risk group.
Who Should Get Tested for HIV?
Although some people think that they’ll never be exposed to HIV, it may just take one accidental needle prick or unprotected sex with an infected partner. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone between the ages of 13 and 64 get tested at least once. Having said that, there is a high-risk group. This group includes:
- People who share needles/syringes: Drug users who share needles or syringes to shoot drugs can contract HIV through contaminated equipment. In addition to drug users, people who share needles for tattoos and piercings also face a high risk of infection.
- People who have unprotected sex: If you have unprotected sex, including oral sex, you fall into the high-risk group of contracting HIV.
- Men who have sex with men: This group has a higher statistical risk of contracting HIV than other groups.
Other people who should get tested for HIV, even though they may not fall into the high-risk group, are pregnant women. If you contract HIV, you can spread it to your child via breast milk.
If you are in a long-term committed relationship, and you suspect your partner has cheated, you may want to get tested for HIV. Testing negative will give you peace of mind.
Finally, if you had unprotected sex with a partner you just met, it’s a good idea to get tested — just in case.
What Does HIV Testing Involve?
If you’re wondering what HIV testing involves, here is a breakdown of what the lab looks for. HIV testing facilities detect signs of the virus and the effects it has on the body.
Antibody Test
Once you are infected with the HIV virus, your body produces antibodies, which are proteins in your body that respond to the HIV virus. Labs can detect these antibodies in your blood or saliva, typically about 23-90 days after exposure. You can get an antibody test in a lab or at a clinic. Most clinics provide rapid tests whose results are available after 30 minutes.
Antigen Test
An antigen is part of the HIV virus that triggers a response from your body. Antigens can show up anywhere from 18 to 45 days after you were infected. Antigens, specifically the p24 antigen, tend to show up before antibodies.
Viral Load Test
Viral load tests are expensive, but they can detect the HIV virus as early as 10 days after infection. These tests determine how much of the HIV virus is in a sample of blood. If you have a high viral load, it means the virus is replicating quickly, and you can easily infect others. A low viral load means the HIV virus is under control and can be managed with medication.
As mentioned, you can take a lab test, which is the most accurate; a rapid test; or an at-home test. Although an at-home test is discreet, it isn’t always accurate.
Antibody Test
Once you are infected with the HIV virus, your body produces antibodies, which are proteins in your body that respond to the HIV virus. Labs can detect these antibodies in your blood or saliva, typically about 23-90 days after exposure. You can get an antibody test in a lab or at a clinic. Most clinics provide rapid tests whose results are available after 30 minutes.
Getting Treatment for HIV
If you have been diagnosed with HIV, it’s not a death sentence. Although there is no cure, treatment can keep the virus at undetectable levels so that it is manageable and under control. Undetectable levels mean you won’t infect others.
HIV treatment is called antiretroviral therapy (ART). This type of therapy stops the virus from replicating and spreading. It also protects your immune system and ensures the virus doesn’t progress and become AIDS.
How the Therapy Works
The main goal of ART is to keep the HIV virus at undetectable levels so that it doesn’t spread and doesn’t destroy the body’s immune system. Essentially, the therapy, which is a combination of medications, prevents the virus from reproducing. ART is available as a daily pill or a shot that is given every month or every other month.
Once you have undetectable levels (20 copies of HIV per milliliter of blood), a viral load test will not be able to detect HIV in your blood. Keep in mind that “undetectable” does not mean you no longer have HIV. The virus still exists in your body and will reproduce if you stop taking your medication.
Types of ART medication
ART usually combines two to four different medications to prevent the HIV virus from reproducing.
- Integrase Inhibitors: These medications stop the HIV virus from inserting its genetic material into your T cells.
- Nucleoside/Nucleotide Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NRTIs): These medications prevent the HIV virus from making copies of itself.
- Non-Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NNRTIs): These medications bind to and block HIV reverse transcriptase and prevent the virus from replicating.
- Protease Inhibitors (PIs): These medications prevent any new virus from maturing.
Starting Treatment
The sooner you start treatment, the better. Doctors need time to decrease your viral load to undetectable levels. To manage your treatment, make sure to take your medications daily (or your shots on time). Skipping medication allows the virus to reproduce and spread. Moreover, managing your treatment ensures you don’t spread the virus to others.
When you first come in for treatment, a healthcare provider will ask about your medical history. These questions include:
- Your date of diagnosis
- Any medications you currently take
- Any allergies you may have
- Sexual health history
- Substance use history
- Immunization status
You will also be asked to list any HIV-related symptoms you may be experiencing. After the initial intake set of questions, doctors will give you a physical exam.
Determining Which Combinations of Medications to Use
Doctors will look at your T cells to determine how many of them are in your blood. They may also perform a viral load test to see how fast the virus is reproducing. Once you start your medication, you will continue to take viral load tests to see if the medication is working.
Doctors may also have you take an HIV resistance test. This test shows if the combination of medications is working or if they need to adjust the medications.
There are two main types of HIV resistance tests:
- Genotypic resistance testing
- Phenotypic testing
While waiting for the results of your HIV resistance test, doctors will typically have you continue to take medications to ensure that the HIV virus does not reproduce or replicate itself during this time.
Some people do have a mutated form of the HIV virus, though, and may not respond to ART. In this case, the virus will continue to replicate and the person infected will become resistant to any medications.
Lifeline Health
At LifeLine Health Florida, we understand that getting tested for HIV can be a nerve-wracking experience. However, our team is committed to providing HIV testing and treatment in a safe, nonjudgmental environment. We also connect our clients to specialized support services. If you believe you were exposed to the HIV virus, or you would simply like to know you’re in good health, LifeLine Health Florida can help. There are three easy steps to HIV testing: Complete our online form, make an appointment, and get the test.
Our Three Easy Steps
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- Complete This Form
- Make An Appointment
- Receive Treatment
Most Asked
Is HIV treatable?
How is HIV transmitted?
HIV is primarily transmitted through certain bodily fluids, such as blood, semen, vaginal fluids, and breast milk. The most common ways that people become infected with HIV are through:
Unprotected sexual contact: HIV can be transmitted through unprotected vaginal, anal, and oral sex.
Sharing needles or other equipment to inject drugs: HIV can be transmitted when needles or other equipment that has been used by an HIV-positive person is reused by someone else.
From mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding: HIV can be transmitted from a mother living with HIV to her baby during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding.
Blood transfusion or organ transplant: HIV can be transmitted through blood transfusions or organ transplants with infected blood or organs.
It’s important to note that HIV is not transmitted through everyday activities like hugging, shaking hands, or sharing utensils.
It’s also worth mentioning that, although the risk of transmitting HIV through oral sex is lower than that of other sexual behaviors, it is still possible to transmit the virus by this way.
I am pregnant and HIV positive. Will my child be born with HIV?
If you are pregnant and living with HIV, it’s important to seek medical care right away. With appropriate medical care and treatment, the risk of mother-to-child transmission of HIV can be significantly reduced. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is the most effective method for preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV. ART can suppress the virus in the mother’s body, lowering the risk of the virus being passed on to the baby during pregnancy, labor, delivery, or breastfeeding. If you’re pregnant and HIV-positive, you’ll be closely monitored by a team of healthcare professionals, including an obstetrician, an HIV specialist and a pediatrician. They will work together to ensure the best possible care for you and your baby. They may advise you to start the ART treatment or adjust the current regimen during pregnancy. This is necessary to achieve an undetectable viral load, which is critical in minimizing the chance of mother-to-child transmission. It’s also important to know that there is a small chance that your child may still become infected despite all the preventative measures. Therefore it’s important to test the baby for HIV shortly after birth and continue monitoring the baby’s HIV status after delivery. It’s worth noting that mother-to-child transmission of HIV is rare in developed countries due to improved treatment and awareness, as long as the mother is diagnosed and treated early.
Listen To What Our Patients Say…
Cristina Anderson
I am thankful to the nice people at Lifeline Health. I was so scared when I found out I had been exposed. They guided me and made me feel so at ease. I have not had an issues and I know it’s because I went to Lifeline Health first.
Juan Bustamonte
