--- title: "HIV: testing, PEP, PrEP and treatment | HealthAnswers" description: "HIV is tested and treated on the NHS. PEP is a 72-hour emergency. PrEP is available via sexual health services. This is not a diagnosis page." url: https://healthanswers.co.uk/conditions/hiv/ robots: noindex --- # HIV: testing, PEP, PrEP and treatment | HealthAnswers Health A–Z HIV is tested and treated on the NHS. PEP is a 72-hour emergency. PrEP is available via sexual health services. This is not a diagnosis page. Written by HealthAnswers editorial team Medically reviewed by [Dr Neil Singh MBChB - nMRCGP](https://healthanswers.co.uk/our-doctors/neil-singh/) · GMC 7039648 Reviewed 13 August 2026 ## Quick answer When do I need an HIV test, PEP or PrEP? HIV is a virus that attacks the immune system. Free confidential tests are available at sexual health clinics, and often by post. PEP after a possible exposure is a 72-hour emergency from A&E or a sexual health clinic. PrEP to reduce future risk is available via sexual health services. This page cannot diagnose HIV or start treatment. ## Who is this page for? This page is for people in the UK who want a plain-English overview of HIV, including when to seek help and what NHS care usually involves. It explains general information, not what is wrong with you personally. ## Who should skip this page? Skip this page if you need a diagnosis, a prescription, or emergency care. It cannot replace a GP, pharmacist, NHS 111 or 999. If you are in immediate danger, call 999; for urgent advice that is not life-threatening, call 111 in England, Scotland or Wales, or use your GP out-of-hours service in Northern Ireland. On this page 8 sections ## Key facts about HIV - Free confidential HIV tests are available at NHS sexual health clinics and often by post. - PEP after a possible exposure must start within 72 hours, via A&E or a sexual health clinic. - PrEP to reduce future HIV risk is available through sexual health services. - Effective treatment can make the virus undetectable, which means it is not passed on through sex. - This page cannot diagnose HIV or interpret a home test for you. - Condoms still matter for other STIs even when HIV risk is being managed. ## Should I use this page, or skip it? Use this page if you want the NHS doors for HIV testing, PEP after a possible exposure, or PrEP for ongoing risk. Skip it and go now if the exposure was within 72 hours — PEP is an A&E or sexual health clinic emergency, not a long read. This page cannot diagnose HIV, read a home kit, or start treatment. Pregnancy risk is a different clock. [Emergency contraception](https://healthanswers.co.uk/treatments/emergency-contraception/) does not prevent HIV. Use the [sexual health hub](https://healthanswers.co.uk/sexual-health/) if you need both doors today. Do not wait for a GP letter if the 72-hour window is closing. ## What is HIV and how is it passed on? HIV is a virus that attacks immune cells. Without treatment it can progress to AIDS, when serious infections and some cancers become more likely. It is present in blood, semen, vaginal and rectal fluids, and breast milk. Condomless anal or vaginal sex and sharing injecting equipment are the usual routes in the UK. It is not passed on by kissing, hugging, sharing cups, toilet seats or insect bites. Treatment in pregnancy makes passing HIV to a baby uncommon. This is background so you can choose a door, not a personal diagnosis from a list of flu-like symptoms. ## When do I need PEP? PEP is a short course of HIV medicine started as soon as possible after a possible exposure, and within 72 hours. Sooner is better. Go to A&E or a sexual health clinic and say you need PEP. Do not wait for your own GP to open on Monday if the exposure was this weekend. Condom failure, sexual assault, and needle-stick injuries are typical reasons staff will assess. It is not the same as emergency contraception, and it does not treat [chlamydia](https://healthanswers.co.uk/conditions/chlamydia/) or [gonorrhoea](https://healthanswers.co.uk/conditions/gonorrhoea/). Ask for STI testing as a separate plan once the PEP decision is made. ## How do I get tested or start PrEP? Free confidential HIV tests are available at sexual health clinics, and often by post or as a rapid test. Clinic staff will explain timing after an exposure. A reactive home test still needs a confirmatory blood test. Specialist HIV services take over if infection is confirmed, with treatment started promptly. PrEP reduces the chance of getting HIV if you are HIV-negative and at higher risk. It is arranged through sexual health services, not by buying leftover tablets. Condoms still reduce other STIs. Ask about hepatitis and [syphilis](https://healthanswers.co.uk/conditions/syphilis/) testing at the same time as the HIV conversation. ## What does treatment mean if you have HIV? Modern antiretroviral treatment is usually one or a few tablets a day, started soon after diagnosis. The aim is an undetectable viral load, immune recovery, and a near-normal life span. When the virus stays undetectable, it is not passed on through sex (U=U). That still does not block other STIs, so condoms can still have a role. You will have regular clinic monitoring. Tell every prescriber you take HIV medicines because of interactions. Employment law protects you. Mental health support is part of good HIV care, not an optional extra after the blood tests are stable. ## When is it 111 or 999? PEP is time-critical: A&E or clinic within 72 hours, not 111 as a first delay if you can still walk into emergency care. Use 111 in England, Scotland and Wales if you cannot find a clinic and the exposure window is closing; Northern Ireland uses GP out-of-hours via nidirect — still say you need PEP. Call 999 if you collapse, cannot breathe, or are severely unwell. A first HIV test result is not an emergency in itself; a new inability to breathe is. Sexual assault should be offered both PEP and forensic and support pathways, not only a leaflet. ## Do NHS doors differ across the UK? PEP is a 72-hour emergency from A&E or a sexual health clinic in every UK nation — do not wait for a routine GP letter. PrEP is arranged through sexual health services. Call 111 in Great Britain if you cannot find a clinic; Northern Ireland uses GP out-of-hours via nidirect. 999 is the same everywhere if you collapse or cannot breathe. Testing and treatment remain confidential. A home kit that is reactive still needs a confirmatory blood test at a clinic, whichever nation you are in. ## Who should skip this page? Skip this page if you need PEP today — leave the house. It is not a diagnosis, not a viral-load result, and not a substitute for clinic counselling after a positive test. If the worry is pregnancy, other STIs, or both, use the [sexual health hub](https://healthanswers.co.uk/sexual-health/) and treat each risk on its own clock. ## ! When to see a GP about HIV Get an HIV test at a sexual health clinic if you have had condomless sex, shared needles, or a partner with HIV. If you think you were exposed in the last 72 hours, go now to A&E or a sexual health clinic and ask for PEP — do not wait for a GP slot. Call **999** if you collapse, cannot breathe, or feel very unwell. A positive test is followed up by specialist HIV services, not by this article. ## Common questions about HIV How is HIV transmitted? Through condomless vaginal or anal sex, sharing needles or injecting equipment, and from mother to baby in pregnancy, birth or breastfeeding without treatment. Oral sex is much lower risk. HIV is not passed on by kissing, hugging, sharing cups, toilet seats or insect bites. UK donated blood is screened. What are the symptoms of HIV? Some people get a short flu-like illness a few weeks after infection — fever, sore throat, rash, swollen glands. Many then have no symptoms for years. You cannot tell from symptoms alone. Testing is the only way to know. Do not use this page as a diagnosis after a risky weekend. What does undetectable equals untransmittable mean? When HIV treatment keeps the virus at an undetectable level in the blood, it is not passed on through sex. That is the U=U message used across UK HIV care. It depends on taking treatment as prescribed and attending monitoring. Undetectable HIV does not protect you or a partner from other STIs. How soon after sex should I test? Clinic staff will explain the window period for the test they use. A fourth-generation laboratory test often detects most infections around four weeks after exposure, with a later test sometimes advised to be sure. If you need PEP, that decision is now, not after a window period. Ask rather than timing it from a forum. What is the difference between PEP and PrEP? PEP is emergency HIV medicine started within 72 hours after a possible exposure, from A&E or a sexual health clinic. PrEP is medicine taken before and around sex to reduce future risk, arranged through sexual health services if you are eligible. Neither is a morning-after pill for pregnancy, and neither treats other STIs. Is there a cure for HIV? There is no widely available cure. Lifelong antiretroviral treatment controls the virus, protects the immune system, and allows a near-normal life expectancy when started and taken as prescribed. A few research cases of remission exist. Vaccine work continues. Late diagnosis, not treatment itself, is the main UK problem. Where do I get a free HIV test? NHS sexual health clinics, many GP surgeries, and postal or rapid tests where your area offers them. Tests are confidential. If a home kit is positive, the clinic will arrange a confirmatory blood test and specialist care. Testing for chlamydia, gonorrhoea and syphilis is usually offered at the same visit. ## Sources - [NHS — HIV and AIDS](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/hiv-and-aids/) - [NHS — PrEP](https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/pre-exposure-prophylaxis-prep/) - [NHS — Sexual health services](https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/sexual-health-services/)