Get Tested

Stephen (right) has been living with HIV since 1988.

What kind of person gets tested for HIV? A healthy person! Don’t let HIV stigma stand in the way of your health.

About 1 in 7 people living with HIV don’t know they have the virus and can pass it on to others without knowing it. Getting an HIV test, knowing your HIV status, and talking to your friends, family, and community about HIV testing are important steps in preventing the spread of HIV and raising awareness. Talk with your friends and family about getting tested and protecting themselves.

CDC recommends that everyone between the ages of 13 and 64 be tested for HIV at least once as part of routine health care. More frequent testing is recommended for people at higher risk for HIV, such as those who are gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM), injection drug users, or people with multiple sex partners.

Here are three good reasons for you to get an HIV test:

Finding out early can help you live a longer, healthier life.
There are treatments now available that can keep you healthy. You can find support, so that you stay connected to care.
If you know, you can look out for yourself—and the people you love.
The earlier you know, the more you can do. There’s new hope today for stopping HIV. Medicines (antiretroviral therapy, or ART) can lower the level of virus in the body. ART helps people with HIV live longer, healthier lives and greatly reduces the chances of passing HIV on to others. Knowing early enables you to help yourself and to protect others. Studies have shown that when people find out they have HIV, they are more likely to take steps to protect their health and that of their partners.
It’s easy. It’s free, fast, and confidential.
Many clinics and testing locations in your area offer free HIV tests. You can even get confidential or anonymous HIV tests. To find out where you can get a free HIV test in your area, do one of the following:
- Use the site locator below. Enter your ZIP code, and the locator will find a testing site near you.
- Text your local ZIP code to KNOWIT, and you will receive a text back with a testing site near you.
- Or call 800–CDC–INFO (800–232–4636) to ask for free testing sites in your area.