The first step after testing positive for HIV is to see a health care provider, even if you do not feel sick. Prompt medical care and treatment with HIV medicines as soon as possible is the best way to stay healthy.
What should I do if I just got diagnosed with HIV?

Take Time to Process the News

Receiving an HIV diagnosis can be life changing. You may feel many emotions—sadness, hopelessness, or anger.

Allied health care providers and social service providers can help you work through the early stages of your diagnosis. They are often available at your health care provider’s office.

Find HIV Care

If you have a primary health care provider, that person may have the knowledge to treat your HIV. A primary health care provider is someone who manages your regular medical care and annual tests.

Start HIV Treatment As Soon As Possible After Diagnosis

Get in care and take medicine to treat HIV (called antiretroviral therapy or ART).

Taking HIV medicine can reduce the amount of HIV in the blood (called viral load).

HIV medicine can make the viral load very low (called viral suppression). Viral suppression is defined as having less than 200 copies of HIV per milliliter of blood.

HIV medicine can make the viral load so low that a test can’t detect it (called an undetectable viral load).
Getting and keeping an undetectable viral load (or staying virally suppressed) is the best thing you can do to stay healthy. Having an undetectable viral load also prevents transmission to others. In fact, if you have an undetectable viral load, you will not transmit HIV to your sex partner. Most people can get the virus under control within six months.