New York State AIDS Hotline, 1-800-541-2437 Recorded messages available 24 hours per day on topics of transmission, prevention, diagnosis, treatment of HIV/AIDS and general information on STDs. Referrals given for HIV Testing and other related services. New York State HIV Counseling Hotline, 1-800-872-2777 Counselors available to answer questions about HIV/AIDS/STDs and provide referrals for related services. New York State Deaf HIV Counseling Hotline, 1-800-369-2437 TDD Counselors available to answer questions about HIV/AIDS/STDs and provide referrals for related services.

Protect yourself (and others) from HIV infection

the antibody or ELISA test - detects HIV antibodies in a person's blood.

67% of all pregnant women living with HIV in low- and middle-income countries received medicines that prevent transmission to their babies in 2013

Again, there are no ideal ways to cope. Discussing feelings with others including friends, family and support groups, learning about HIV, being healthy, and making space and time to relax and take part in other activities can help. “He found it incredibly difficult to handle and told me he was terrified. I saw another side to this person and for 2 days all he talked about was how is he going to cope? At first I found this startling as I was the one with the diagnosis, but in fact turned all my efforts in to helping him cope with his mental health. It took my mind away from what I was supposed to be dealing with. However 3 days later he told me he could cope no longer and I was sent on my merry way.” Trevor, Brisbane, Australia

Prevention Programs

A healthy diet is essential to maintaining good health across your life span. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration defines a healthy diet as one that provides enough of each essential nutrient, contains a variety of foods from all of the basic food groups, provides adequate energy to maintain a healthy weight, and does not contain excess fat, sugar, salt or alcohol

Some side effects, for example headache or occasional dizziness, may not be serious. Other side effects, such as swelling of the mouth and tongue or damage to the liver, can be life-threatening.

f you have sex, the best thing to do is to practice "safer sex" all the time. To do so, always use a condom, dental dam, or other latex barrier and avoid "rough sex" or other activities that might cause bleeding.

You can’t get HIV by shaking hands with, hugging, or closed-mouth kissing a person infected with HIV. And you can’t get HIV from contact with objects such as toilet seats, doorknobs, or dishes used by a person infected with HIV.

Oral sex is much less risky than anal or vaginal sex. Anal sex is the most risky type of sex for the spread of HIV.

ASCNYC offers free and confidential HIV counseling and testing, in English and Spanish, at our main program office, the Keith Haring ASC Harlem Center, and CASA Washington Heights Community Center.

Most women get HIV from having sex with a man who is HIV-positive.

Medications now enable people with HIV to live longer and healthier lives. But not all New Yorkers living with HIV are fully benefiting from antiretroviral treatment and supportive care. Each year, nearly 1,000 people in NYC don't find out they are HIV positive until they are already sick with AIDS.

ntiretroviral Therapy The Health Department now recommends offering antiretroviral treatment (ART) to any person living with HIV, regardless of the person’s CD4 cell count. The recommendation is based on evidence that ART can improve the health of people living with HIV and that ART can prevent transmission of HIV from an HIV-infected person to an uninfected sexual partner.

edications now enable people with HIV to live longer and healthier lives. But not all New Yorkers living with HIV are fully benefiting from antiretroviral treatment and supportive care. Each year, nearly 1,000 people in NYC don't find out they are HIV positive until they are already sick with AIDS.

Keeping a healthy body People living with HIV or AIDS need different foods from healthy people. HIV/AIDS and the medicines people have to take can make you lose a lot of weight, feel cold all the time and get serious stomach problems. This will make you weaker and more vulnerable to serious infections. Because you easily get infections, it is also very important to clean and cook food properly and to drink only clean water.

AHI: Acute HIV Infection: Current Definition (PDF) Acute HIV Infection: Definition prior to October 23, 2009 (PDF) AIDS: Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome HIV: Human immunodeficiency virus HIV-1: HIV-1 is the retrovirus that is responsible for the majority of cases in the world AIDS pandemic. HIV-2: HIV-2 is a closely related but distinct virus that is found primarily in West Africa and countries with large West African immigrant populations. More in-depth information regarding HIV Type 2 IDU: Injection drug use or injecting drug user MSM: Men who have sex with men PWHA: Persons with HIV or AIDS PLWHA: Persons living with HIV or AIDS. For these tables, PLWHA refers to persons diagnosed and reported in New York City and presumed to be living with HIV/AIDS. UHF neighborhood: United Hospital Fund neighborhood Definitions Age: Age is calculated as age at diagnosis for HIV and AIDS diagnoses; age as of the end of the calendar year for PLWHA; and age at death for deaths. AIDS diagnosis: Persons are classified as having AIDS if they are HIV-infected and either have one or more AIDS-defining opportunistic illnesses (based on the 1993 CDC case definition) or a laboratory test indicating suppressed CD4+ cell counts (<200 cells/µL). Clinical status: Clinical status is determined as of the end of the calendar year or at date of death. Concurrent HIV/AIDS: An AIDS diagnosis within 31 days of an HIV diagnosis. Persons concurrently diagnosed with HIV and AIDS are included in the totals of both HIV diagnoses and AIDS diagnoses. HIV diagnosis: A diagnosis of HIV infection is generally based on a positive Western blot test in adults and a positive PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test in infants less than 18 months. Since June 1, 2000, laboratories and health care providers in New York State have been required to report HIV infection even in persons without AIDS. Race: Technical Notes on Race Transmission risk: HIV surveillance captures information about risk factors associated with HIV transmission. The primary risk factors are men who have sex with men, injection drug use, heterosexual sex and perinatal transmission. Men who have sex with men includes males with reported sexual contact with another male, and males with no definitive risk and with history of a rectal STD or proctitis. The injection drug use category includes persons who took nonprescribed drugs by injection, intravenously, intramuscularly or subcutaneously. The heterosexual category includes persons who had heterosexual sex with an HIV-infected person, an injection drug user, or a person who has received blood products; and for females only, women with a history of heterosexual prostitution, multiple sex partners of the opposite sex, sexually transmitted disease, crack/cocaine use, heterosexual sex with a bisexual male, or unspecified probable heterosexual transmission. Perinatal transmission is a risk factor for infants who were infected during gestation, birth or postpartum through breastfeeding to an HIV-infected mother. Other transmission risks include hemophilia, receipt of transfusions or transplants, and non-perinatal risk in pediatric cases (<13 years). Persons with a risk that is unknown have no risk information reported by the provider or an expanded investigation has not been completed for them. UHF neighborhood: This corresponds to a geographic area within New York City that is an aggregate of between 1 and 9 ZIP codes but that is smaller than a borough. UHF neighborhoods reflect catchment areas for certain healthcare facilities. (Table and map of UHF neighborhoods and corresponding ZIP codes, PDF)

HIV is not spread by biting insects such as mosquitoes or bedbugs.

In the United States, new infections at birth are now very rare because of drugs that pregnant women can take that can block HIV transmission to the child. It is important to start these drugs early in pregnancy. I

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Exit Disclaimer there were approximately 35 million people worldwide living with HIV/AIDS in 2013. Of these, 3.2 million were children (<15 years old).