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The most important things to know about living with HIV are that you can live a long, healthy life and that you are not alone. It is important to get into care and then remain in care. Your care team at the UW Health HIV Care and Prevention Program is here to help.
Read more about our:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website is an excellent resource for information about living with HIV. It includes sections on:
Understanding HIV care
HIV treatment
Understanding an HIV diagnosis
Telling others
Protecting others
Dealing with stigma and discrimination
Mental health
Family planning and more
Stay healthy, get support and reduce risk to others
The most important way to stay healthy is to start and stay in medical care. It is important to take your HIV medications because they can make your viral load undetectable and protect your immune system. You should visit your provider regularly to work together to monitor and sustain your health. Eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly can also help your immune system work better.
Most people find that getting support is important to helping them to stay healthy. You can talk to our care team about your concerns and questions. Consider attending a support group for people living with HIV and read stories and testimonials from people living well with HIV.
Learn more about HIV transmission and prevention so you can help reduce risk to others. Our care team is available to discuss how to reduce risks and the options available to prevent HIV transmission. There are also resources such as The Well Project's disclosure and HIV site.
HIV/AIDS patient education
HIV/AIDS Patient Education Series
Newly diagnosed
If you have recently been diagnosed with HIV and are exploring getting your care through the UW Health HIV Care and Prevention Program, be sure to review this overview for new patients.
U=U: Undetectable = Untransmittable
U=U is the slogan for a movement launched by the Prevention Access Campaign.
In 2016, a group of people living with HIV (PLWH) created a Consensus Statement about the risk of sexual transmission of HIV from PLWH who have an undetectable HIV viral load. This statement explained the scientific evidence showing people on effective antiretroviral (ART) will reduce the level of HIV to "undetectable" levels, which protects their health and makes them incapable of transmitting HIV to their sexual partners - or what we call "Undetectable = Untransmittable," or U=U for short.
For more information, see the HIV Prevention page.