HIV Prevention
Getting Tested for HIV
AHF offers FREE HIV Testing in areas of California, Florida and Washington, D.C. Click here for a list of locations.
To find FREE HIV Testing locations in the US, use this locator, courtesy of the CDC:
About one in four people with HIV don’t know that they are infected. HIV is often asymptomatic for years, so the only way to know your status is to get tested. The earlier HIV is discovered, the better it can be treated.
AHF joins public health officials and other experts in recommending that you get tested every six months for as long as you’re sexually active or otherwise at risk.
How To Take an HIV Clinic Test
Watch what happens when someone visits one of our walk-in HIV testing locations.
Frequently Asked Questions About HIV Testing
HIV tests are offered at a wide variety of clinics, organizations and even out of mobile vans. Check our Medical Services page for a location near you. You can also ask your doctor for a test, or buy a Home Access kit and test yourself.
There are many HIV tests in use, but the most common are blood or oral swab tests. Most independent testing locations and a growing number of clinics and private doctors use rapid HIV testing. With rapid testing, results are available one to 20 minutes after a mouth swab, blood draw or finger prick.
After HIV infection, it takes three weeks to six months for the body to create antibodies to HIV. Most HIV tests work by detecting those antibodies, so if you think you’ve been exposed, three to six months later is a good time to get tested. If you’re sexually active or using needles, a test every six months is a good idea regardless.
There is also an HIV test which detects the virus itself. This test, called the Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT), requires a blood draw and is only offered at select testing centers. If the NAAT is performed, HIV can be detected three weeks after exposure.
Many organizations offer free HIV testing. Check our list of locations (in the U.S./outside of the U.S.) or get in touch with a local HIV/AIDS organization.
In the U.S., HIV testing can be confidential or anonymous. Confidential testing means that your name will be used to track your results and keep statistics about HIV. Rarely, your results might be disclosed by court order, or to your insurance company or legal guardian. Anonymous testing means that you provide no personal information whatsoever.
Tested positive? Learn what you can do to best take care of yourself.
Or, get more general information about HIV.
