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  • Breadcrumb

    1. Home
    2. Health and wellbeing
    3. Illnesses and conditions
    4. Health conditions
    5. HIV and AIDS

    If you think you have been exposed to HIV

    If you think you have been exposed to HIV, anti-HIV medication called PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) may stop you becoming infected.

    Emergency HIV drugs

    If you think you may have been exposed to HIV within the last 72 hours (three days), you may benefit from a four-week course of anti-HIV medication known as post exposure prophylaxis (PEP).

    It is only recommended following higher risk exposure, particularly where the sexual partner is known to be HIV positive.

    For it to be effective, the PEP medication must be started within 72 hours of coming into contact with the virus.

    The quicker PEP is started the better, ideally within hours of coming into contact with HIV.

    The longer the wait, the less chance of it being effective.

    PEP may have serious side effects and is not guaranteed to work.

    The treatment involves taking the same drugs prescribed to people who have tested positive for HIV.

    Who to contact if you think you have been exposed

    If you are concerned that you have been exposed to HIV, immediately contact your local emergency department, GUM (genitourinary medicine) or sexual health clinic.

    The doctor or nurse there will ask you several questions to try to find out whether you could benefit from treatment.

    • Urgent and emergency care services

    Find out what's available in your Health and Social Care  (HSC) Trust area:

    • Belfast HSC Trust - sexual health and HIV services
    • Northern HSC Trust - sexual health service (GUM)
    • South Eastern HSC Trust - sexual health service
    • Southern HSC Trust - sexual health
    • Western HSC Trust - sexual and reproductive health services

     

    More useful links

    • Rainbow Project
    • Brook
    • Positive Life Northern Ireland website
    • Cara Friend website
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    HIV and AIDS

    • Finding out you are HIV positive
    • HIV diagnosis
    • If you think you have been exposed to HIV
    • Information and support for people with HIV and AIDS

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