HIV Testing

Exposure to HIV is a Medical Emergency. PEP (Post Exposure Prophylaxis) is available to PREVENT HIV transmission within a 72 Hour MAXIMUM window from the time of exposure to when the person MUST start the 28 days of prescribed medicine.

If you think you may have been exposed to HIV and are within the 72-hour maximum window from the time of your exposure, please contact Mario Forte, PReP Navigator, at mforte@cempa.org.

To learn more about PEP please contact Mario Forte, PrEP Navigator, at mforte@cempa.org.

If you are a medical provider and would like to download the PEP Protocol please visit cempa.org/PEPprotocol or contact Mario Forte, PReP Navigator, at mforte@cempa.org for more information.

If you test positive (+) for HIV our Prevention Services staff will conduct a confirmatory test as required by the state. If the confirmatory results are positive (+), you will complete and sign a form acknowledging you were provided your positive test results. This document is for the Hamilton County Health Department to record all HIV test results in the county. You may also have the Health Department anonymously contact any sexual partners on your behalf.

Treatment is essential in stopping the spread of HIV. After receiving a positive confirmatory test, our staff will schedule you for an appointment with Cempa Community Care’s Clinic Services so you can be prescribed an Antiretroviral Therapy that same day. We know any new diagnosis can come with many questions, and Cempa’s staff is here for you to walk with you every step of the way. To learn more about HIV Healthcare click here.

Some people experience flu-like symptoms that include fever, chills, rash, muscle aches, fatigue, and mouth ulcers around the time they are infected by HIV. It is important to know, that not everyone experiences symptoms and that getting tested is the ONLY way to know if you are infected with HIV.

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus that attacks the body’s immune system. If left untreated, AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) is the final stage of HIV infection and occurs when the HIV virus has severely damaged the body’s immune system. When this happens, certain infections are able to enter the body without resistance. Without treatment, AIDS can be fatal; with treatment, HIV may never advance to its final stage in becoming AIDS.

If you answer yes to any of the following questions, then you may be at risk for transmitting HIV and should get tested as soon as possible:

• Are you a man who has had sex with another man?

• Are you sexually active with a partner who is living with HIV?

• Have you had multiple sex partners since your last HIV test?

• Are you sexually active with partner(s) and been unaware of their HIV status?

• Have you recently tested positive (+) for a sexually transmitted infection (STI)?

• Do you infrequently use condoms?

• Have you injected drugs and shared needles, syringes, or other drug injection equipment with others?

• Do you engage in sex that involves exchange of commodities (housing, drugs, money, etc.)?