HIV Integrated Programs
What is HIV?
فيروس نقص المناعة البشرية (HIV) هو فيروس يهاجم جهاز المناعة في الجسم ويضعفه، مما يجعله غير قادر على مكافحة العدوى والأمراض.
إذا تُرِك الفيروس دون علاج، فقد يتطور إلى متلازمة نقص المناعة المكتسبة أو الإيدز. والإيدز هو المرحلة النهائية من فيروس نقص المناعة البشرية حيث يصبح الجهاز المناعي عاجزًا عن مقاومة الأمراض أو العدوى.
More than 40,000 people in Illinois live with HIV or AIDS and more than half of those individuals reside in Chicago. There are approximately 1,000 new cases of HIV diagnosed in Chicago every year.
Get Protection and Stay Safe
(Prevention Methods)
Most people who get HIV get it through anal or vaginal sex, or sharing needles, syringes, or other drug injection equipment. But there are powerful tools that can help prevent HIV transmission.
DoxyPEP for STI Prevention (Post-Exposure Prophylaxis)
Reduces the chance of contracting an STI up to 72 hours after exposure.
70% effective at reducing the transmission of chlamydia and syphilis.
55% – 60% effective at reducing the transmission of gonorrhea.
PEP (Post-Exposure Prophylaxis)
Emergency medicine used to prevent HIV within 72 hours of potentially being exposed through unprotected sex or sharing needles.
Not an effective long-term or frequent treatment and should not be a substitute for regular use of other HIV prevention.
PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis)
A daily prevention pill or an injection administered every other month for HIV negative individuals, who are vulnerable to getting HIV.
99% effective at reducing the risk of getting HIV from sex; 74%effective at reducing the risk of getting HIV from injection drug use when taken as prescribed.
Condoms
Most condoms are highly effective in preventing HIV and certain other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), like gonorrhea and chlamydia.
Condoms provide less protection against STDs that can be transmitted through sores or curs on the skin, like HPV, genital herpes and syphilis.
Sexual Activities with Less Risk
You have other options aside from vaginal and anal sex. Oral sex is an option that is significantly less likely to transmit HIV.
You can’t get HIV from sexual activities that don’t involve contact with body fluids (semen, vaginal fluid or blood).
Get Tested and Treated for Other STDs
Getting tested and treated for other STDs can lower your chances of getting HIV.
Many people with an STD may not know they have one because they don’t have symptoms.
Staying in Treatment If You or Your Partner Has HIV
Someone who takes their HIV medicine regularly can become undetectable, which means the amount of virus (viral load) in their blood is so low that it cannot be detected.
If you or your partner are and remain undetectable you cannot transmit HIV.
Get Some Testing
All individuals who are sexually active should prioritize their health by getting tested for HIV annually. While men who have
sex with men are encouraged to get tested every three to six months for early detection and prevention.
You should be tested annually for HIV if you:
- Had unprotected vaginal, oral or anal sex with more than one partner in the last year.
- Had unprotected vaginal, oral or anal sex with an HIV-positive partner.
- Are a man who has had sex with another man.
- Been diagnosed with another STD or STI.
- Been treated for tuberculosis or hepatitis.
- Exchanged sex or drugs for money.
- Used IV or injection drugs or shared injection drugs with others.
You can receive HIV testing at all Cook County Health centers.
Get Some Treatment
While there is no cure for HIV/AIDS, medical advancements in treatments, prevention and early detection have resulted in people living longer and healthier lives. If you have tested positive for HIV, visit your doctor to immediately begin antiretroviral treatment (ART) immediately. The earlier treatment begins, the easier it will be to manage the virus and continue your life.
Antiretroviral Treatment (ART) is prescribed medication that controls HIV. Overtime, it reduces the virus in your blood and other bodily fluids to help your immune system recover and can achieve an undetectable viral load. Once you are undetectable, you cannot transmit HIV.
Learn more about preventing HIV transmission.
Getting the Care You Need, When You Need It
Find an HIV integrated program near you.
To schedule an appointment at any of the health centers listed below, please call the Access Line at 312-572-4500.
For Provident Hosptial, please call 312-572-2000.
![Dr. Emily Chen smiling warmly, wearing clear-framed glasses and a heart-shaped pendant necklace in a professional headshot. She is dressed in a beige cardigan over a pink top, standing against a light-colored wall. Dr. Chen provides compassionate patient care at [Hospital Name].](https://cookcountyhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/Tahannie-Barlow.jpg)
Ways to Contact Us
Warmline
312-572-4515
A messaging service available 24/7, with voicemails being checked and returned 3-times a day on weekdays. Messages after 5pm will be returned the next business day.
Walk-ins Welcome
مركز روث م. روثستاين كور
2020 W. Harrison St. Chicago, IL 60612
312-572-4700
To contact the walk-in STI Screening Clinic, call Monday – Friday, 8:30am to 3:30pm. Same-day HIV/STI services are provided.
Access Line
Schedule an appointment, Monday through Friday from 9am – 5pm. Calls are directed to an available live representative.
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