Drexel University College of Medicine

How Do I Know If I’m at Risk?

You may be at increased risk for infection if you have:

• Injected drugs or steroids, during which equipment (such as needles, syringes, cotton, water) and blood were shared with others.
• Had unprotected vaginal, anal, or oral sex (that is, sex without using condoms) with men who have sex with men, multiple partners, or anonymous partners.
• Exchanged sex for drugs or money. 
• Been given a diagnosis of, or been treated for, hepatitis, tuberculosis (TB), or a sexually transmitted disease (STD) such as syphilis.
• Received a blood transfusion or clotting factor during 1978–1985.
• Had unprotected sex with someone who has any of the risk factors listed above.

How can I reduce my risk?

Your risk of getting HIV or passing it to someone else depends on several things. Do you know what they are? You might want to talk to someone who knows about HIV - call us as 215 427-5284. You can also do the following:

1. Abstain from sex (do not have oral, anal, or vaginal sex) until you are in a relationship with only one person, are having sex with only each other, and each of you knows the other’s HIV status.
2. If both you and your partner have HIV, use condoms to prevent other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and possible infection with a different strain of HIV.
3. If only one of you has HIV, use a latex condom and lubricant every time you have sex.
   If you have, or plan to have, more than one sex partner, consider the following:

• Get tested for HIV.
• If you are a man who has had sex with other men, get tested at least once a year.
• If you are a woman who is planning to get pregnant or who is pregnant, get tested as soon as possible, before you have your baby.
• Talk about HIV and other STDs with each partner before you have sex.
• Learn as much as you can about each partner’s past behavior (sex and drug use), and consider the risks to your health before you have sex.
• Ask your partners if they have recently been tested for HIV; encourage those who have not been tested to do so.
• Use a latex condom and lubricant every time you have sex.

If you think you may have been exposed to another STD such as gonorrhea, syphilis, or Chlamydia trachomatis infection, get treatment. These diseases can increase your risk of getting HIV.

Even if you think you have low risk for HIV infection, get tested whenever you have a regular medical check-up.

Do not inject illicit drugs (drugs not prescribed by your doctor). You can get HIV through needles, syringes, and other works if they are contaminated with the blood of someone who has HIV.
Drugs also cloud your mind, which may result in riskier sex.

If you do inject drugs, do the following:

• Use only clean needles, syringes and other works.
• Never share needles, syringes or other works.
• Be careful not to expose yourself to another person's blood.
• Get tested for HIV test at least once a year.
• Consider getting counseling and treatment for your drug use.
• Do not have sex when you are taking drugs or drinking alcohol because being high can make you more likely to take risks.

How Do I know if someone is infected?

The only way to know for sure is to get an HIV test. You cannot tell by looking at someone if he or she is infected with HIV. Someone can look and feel perfectly healthy and still be infected. In fact, worldwide, most people living with HIV are unaware that they are infected. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 1 in 4 Americans with HIV do not know they are infected.