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How To Stay Safe

Key Tips

To reduce your risk of HIV infection, use condoms correctly every time you have vaginal, oral, or anal sex. Don’t inject drugs. If you do, use only sterile injection equipment and water and never share your equipment with others. If you don’t have HIV but are at high risk of becoming infected with HIV, talk to your health care provider about pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). PrEP involves taking a specific HIV medicine every day to reduce the risk of HIV infection.

How To Protect My Partner Who Is HIV Negative

Take HIV medicines daily. Treatment with HIV medicines (called antiretroviral therapy or ART) helps people with HIV live longer, healthier lives. ART can’t cure HIV infection, but it can reduce the amount of HIV in the body which will reduce your risk of passing HIV to your partner during sex. To protect your partner, use condoms correctly every time you have sex. If you inject drugs, don’t share your needles, syringes, or other drug equipment with your partner. To learn more, visit AIDS.gov on Mixed-Status Couples.

Safe Sex

The most common way people get HIV is by having sex with an infected person. Kissing is a safe sex activity. When a person's penis, vagina, anus gets involved with the other's mouth or genitals there's a chance of passing HIV. You can lower your risk a lot by using a condom (male or female) when you have sex. (Natural-skin condoms prevent pregnancy, but they don't prevent infections.) Put the condom on as soon as there's an erection and use water-based lubricants, no oils. Oral sex without a condom or dental dam isn't 100% safe, but it's far less risky than unprotected vaginal or anal sex.