There is only one way to know if you have been infected with HIV: undergo a specific test through a normal blood sample. To perform the test, you don’t need a prescription. The test is free and anonymous and the test result is communicated exclusively to the person who made it. Foreign people, even if they have no residence permit, may take the test under the same conditions as Italian citizens.
Should I get tested for HIV?
- If you had unprotected sex
- If you use drug through syringes
- If you are the sexual partners of a person who belongs to the first or the second category or to both.
It is good to take the test at least 1 month after unprotected sex and in case of negative test, repeat it after three months. To be infected by HIV now allows access to immediate medical care and to be able to make timely drug therapy that allows you to slow the progression to disease. With the currently available therapies, a HIV-positive person in fact has a life expectancy similar to that of a person HIV-negative.
WHO – Department of Reproductive Health and Research (RHR)