As we progress in our knowledge of how to effectively treat people living with HIV, the care model continuously evolves to reflect scientific and social advances in the strategy to fight the disease. After years of development, the HIV Care Continuum is being implemented by Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program grant recipients across the nation as a more effective way to fight and manage the disease.
The HIV Care Continuum is a model that outlines the sequential steps or stages of HIV medical care that people living with HIV go through from initial diagnosis to achieving the goal of viral suppression (a very low level of HIV in the body). It also shows the proportion of individuals living with HIV who are engaged at each stage. By closely examining the proportion of people living with HIV engaged in each stage of the HIV Care Continuum, policymakers and service providers are able to pinpoint where gaps may exist in connecting people living with HIV to sustained, quality care, and to implement system improvements and service enhancements that better support individuals as they move from one stage in the continuum to the next.
You can’t rely on symptoms to know whether you have HIV. You can look and feel perfectly healthy and still have HIV. The only way to know is to get tested! Getting tested gives you the knowledge you need to protect yourself and your partners. If you learn you are HIV-positive, you can start treatment that will help you stay healthy and live longer. You can also take steps to reduce the risk of passing HIV on to others.
Find a Testing Site Near You
Many clinics and testing locations in your area offer free HIV tests that can also be confidential or anonymous. You can also get an HIV home test kit (the Home Access HIV-1 Test System or OraQuick In-Home HIV Test) from a drugstore. Enter your location below to find out where you can get a free HIV test in your area.
After you are diagnosed HIV-positive, it’s important to get connected to an HIV provider as soon as possible. Why? Because with proper care and treatment, you can stay healthy, live longer, and reduce the chances of transmitting HIV to others. Your provider will conduct a complete health evaluation and conduct lab tests to set up a treatment plan to help you stay healthy.
Talk to your HIV care provider about getting started on HIV treatment. It’s called antiretroviral therapy (ART). HIV Treatment will help you stay healthy. WHAT IS ART? ART is the use of HIV medicines to fight HIV infection. It involves taking a combination of HIV medicines every day. These HIV medicines are lifesavers and will help you stay healthy. ART is recommended for all HIV-positive people, even if you feel fine. ART can’t cure HIV, but it can control the virus so that you can live a longer, healthier life and reduce the risk of transmitting HIV to others.
Care and treatment for HIV is a lifelong process. Keep taking your HIV meds. To stay healthy, you need to keep taking your HIV medications and receive regular HIV medical care. By doing so, you can reduce your chances of getting sick from your HIV disease and prevent transmitting the virus to others. If something is getting in the way of staying in care, talk to your HIV provider so he or she can find ways to help you stay on track. Your life and future are worth it.
HIV is a lifelong condition. At this time, there is no cure. But that doesn’t mean you can’t live a long and healthy life! If you are diagnosed early, start taking anti-retroviral therapy (ART), and continue to take your HIV meds regularly, you can keep HIV under control and live a normal lifespan.
For more information on the Continuum of Care, please visit AIDS.gov.
