HIV PREVENTION

WellFlorida’s High Impact Prevention (HIP) provides education on HIV prevention and offers free HIV testing, condoms, and PrEP and PEP advice. Learn more about how HIV is spread and proven ways to prevent HIV transmission.

HIV is spread by:

• Exposure to blood, semen, vaginal secretions and breastmilk
• Unprotected vaginal, anal, and oral sex
• Sharing needles and syringes for drug injection, and sharing needles for tattoos and piercings
• Mother-to-child exposure via pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding

HIV is not spread by:

• Hugging, kissing, or sharing food
• Tears, saliva, sweat, or urine
• Mosquitoes or other insects
• Donating blood

PROVEN WAYS TO PREVENT HIV TRANSMISSION:

TESTING

Knowing your HIV status is the first step to preventing HIV. Knowledge is power; the test results will guide you in decisions you make about your health and possibly others. HIP provides free testing at our Gainesville office and events throughout North Central Florida. We can also deliver a test to your door if more convenient for you. To learn more about how to receive a free HIV test Click Here.

CONDOMS

Condoms are highly effective at preventing HIV. HIP gives away condoms at events throughout the region and works with local businesses to provide condoms to their customers for free. Check out the participating businesses in Business Responds to AIDS.

PrEP

PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis, is a prescription medicine taken either daily or once every two months via injection before possible HIV exposure. Regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, PrEP is for anyone who’s sexually active and could be exposed to HIV, including those in committed relationships.

PEP

PEP, or post-exposure prophylaxis, is a medicine taken after possible HIV exposure. It is prescribed in emergency situations and must be taken within 72 hours. Learn more about PrEP & PEP and how HIP can connect you to those resources.

UNDETECTED = UNTRANSMITTABLE (U = U)

People living with HIV cannot transmit the virus if they have an undetectable viral load for at least 6 months and take antiretroviral therapy (ART) medications as prescribed. An undetectable viral load means the amount of HIV in your blood (viral load) is so low that a test can’t detect it. When people living with HIV do not take prescribed medications, their viral load will grow which can make them sick and more likely to spread HIV to sexual and injecting partners, and from mother to baby during pregnancy, delivery, and breastfeeding. Staying on medications as prescribed is not always easy. HIP helps people living with HIV link to care and stay on treatment because we want to keep you and your loved ones healthy.

EXCHANGE OR CLEAN SYRINGES

Sharing needles, syringes or other drug injection equipment puts people at risk of getting or transmitting infections, including HIV. If you inject drugs and the area you live in offers a syringe- or needle- exchange program, take advantage of it! If not, the Florida Department of Health recommends cleaning needles and syringes with ordinary household bleach to inactivate HIV. The bleach must be drawn into the syringe, shaken, and squirted out. This process must be completed three times. Then, water must be drawn in, shaken, and squirted to thoroughly rinse out the bleach. This process should also be completed three times since injecting bleach into the veins can be more deadly than HIV.

OUR HIP PREVENTION TEAM