Family Tree Clinic

STIS and HIV

HIV / AIDS

HIV is the name for the actual virus that a person can catch from someone that has HIV. It doesn’t spread by just hugging or kissing. Blood, semen, vaginal fluid, or breast milk that is HIV positive has to get into your body for it to spread. Family Tree has rapid HIV tests, where all we need to do is a finger prick and you get the results in 20 minutes.

HIV attacks the immune system, making it grow weaker and weaker and unable to fight off other germs that a person might come in contact with which can make you really sick. Once a person’s immune system becomes very weak, they might be diagnosed with AIDS. You can’t catch AIDS from someone else, only HIV.

There are a lot of things people can do to help prevent HIV from spreading. Making sure to never share needles, always use barrier methods during oral, anal, or vaginal sex, and getting tested regularly are all things that can help keep you safer.