Towards Zero
HIV Project

We have been working with West Sussex County Council, West Sussex Sexual Health and multiple partners to understand the barriers to accessing HIV testing and treatment and to provide access to education.

Where Can I get tested for HIV?

If you are in West Sussex you can book an HIV test either in-person or as a home test. To book an in-person appointment you need to call: 01903 285199

To book an at home test complete the form here.

How do I complete an at home test?

What is PrEP?

PrEP, or Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, is a pill that can be taken daily or event based to reduce your chances of contracting HIV. It is free on the NHS, you can talk about taking PrEP at your local sexual health clinic. Very few people who take PrEP get serious side effects. You can read more about possible side effects here.

Daily Dose

You can take PrEP once a day, it is best to try and take it at the same time every day. This builds up a high enough level of PrEP in your body to prevent the HIV virus from making copies of itself in your body.

Event Based

You can take PrEP on an event basis, this is generally only recommended if you are going to have anal sex. It is not effective for vaginal sex. You can take two doses of PrEP together at least two hours before any sexual activity and then once 24 hours after the activity and once more 24 hours after that.

What is PEP?

PEP, or Post-Exposure Prophylaxis, is an emergency course of drugs to be taken if you have been exposed to HIV. It is free on the NHS and is available from your local sexual health clinic. If your local clinic is not open (for example over a weekend), it is also available from A&E departments at hospitals.

PEP is a powerful course of drugs and is expensive to prescribe, when you go for your appointment you may be asked the following:

the person you had sex with (and the chances that they had HIV)
what sort of sex you had (vaginal, oral or anal)
if the other person had HIV, what their viral load is.

In order for PEP to be effective, you must start taking it within 72 hours of exposure to HIV and you must take the full course.

If the person you have had sex with is undetectable, you will not be prescribed PEP

What Does U=U Mean?

U=U is an acronym meaning Undetectable = Untransmittable.

The chances of someone passing on HIV to their partner is based on their viral load, the amount of HIV Virus they have in their blood. Those on effective treatment for HIV have a very low viral load, meaning they can't pass HIV on (Undetectable).

Modern medicine means anyone who has HIV and is on effective treatment won't be able to pass on HIV. A study in 2014 and 2018 looking at over 58,000 cases of sex without a condom where one person had HIV and one did not showed 0 cases of transmission when someone was on effective treatment!