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Dr. Chrysoula I. Liakou MD, PhD
- Treated online: Assessment online. A doctor can judge the risk and tell you where to get PEP and which tests you need; PEP, HIV tests and HIV treatment are in person.
- PEP: emergency HIV medicine, started as soon as possible after a risk, preferably within 24 hours and no later than 72 hours, and taken for 28 days.
- Testing: a fourth-generation laboratory blood test is reliable 45 days after a risk; rapid finger-prick tests need 90 days.
- Early symptoms: some people have a short flu-like illness 2 to 6 weeks after infection, and many have no symptoms for years, so only a test can tell.
- Emergency: for PEP within 72 hours of a risk, go to a sexual health clinic or an emergency department now; call 112 for difficulty breathing, confusion or collapse.
Do not wait for a video appointment if the risk was in the last 72 hours and you want PEP: go to a sexual health clinic or an emergency department now, because PEP works best when it starts as early as possible. After a sexual assault, go to an emergency department or a specialist sexual assault service. Call 112 for difficulty breathing, confusion or collapse.
Can an online doctor help after a possible HIV exposure?
PEP, HIV tests and HIV treatment cannot be given online: they come from sexual health clinics, HIV clinics and emergency departments. What a doctor by video can do is judge the risk, tell you whether PEP could help and where to get it now, and plan which HIV and STI tests you need and when a negative result can be trusted. Afterwards, the doctor can explain your results and the next steps. If the risk was in the last 72 hours, go for PEP rather than waiting for a video call.
How an online consultation helps after a possible HIV exposure
- Is PEP worth it?: Whether the risk you had is one where PEP is recommended, and where to get it straight away.
- Tests at the right time: Which HIV and STI tests you need, and when a negative result can be trusted.
- Results explained: What a negative, reactive or positive result means, and what happens next.
- Prevention for the future: Condoms, PrEP and how often to test, without judgement.
What the doctor checks in an online HIV risk assessment
The doctor asks first about timing, because PEP has to start within 72 hours, then about the risk itself. The doctor asks about:
- When it happened: the date and time of the risk.
- What happened: the type of sex, whether a condom was used or split, or shared needles or other injecting equipment.
- The other person: whether they have HIV and, if so, whether they are on treatment with an undetectable viral load.
- Symptoms since: a sore throat, high temperature, swollen glands, aching muscles, tiredness or a rash.
- Your health: earlier HIV tests, PrEP, pregnancy or breastfeeding, kidney or liver problems, and the medicines you take.
If PEP could help, you are told where to go without delay. Take the date and time of the risk, and a list of your medicines, with you. Everything you say is confidential, and the questions are the same for everyone.
What are the early symptoms of HIV?
Many people have no symptoms for years. Some have a short flu-like illness 2 to 6 weeks after infection, with:
- a sore throat
- a high temperature
- swollen glands
- aching muscles and tiredness
- a skin rash
These symptoms are common with other infections, so they cannot confirm or rule out HIV: only a test can. Without treatment, HIV weakens the immune system over time and can eventually lead to serious illnesses such as tuberculosis, pneumonia or cancer, which is why testing early matters.
What is usually the first sign of HIV?
For many people there is no sign at all. When there is one, it is usually that flu-like illness 2 to 6 weeks after infection, sometimes with a rash. A flu-like illness or a new rash in the weeks after a risk is a reason to test, not to wait.
How is HIV passed on, and how is it not?
HIV is most often passed on through vaginal, anal or oral sex without a condom with someone who has HIV, and through sharing needles, syringes or other injecting equipment with someone who has a detectable viral load.
Swipe sideways to compare →
| Can pass on HIV | Cannot pass on HIV |
|---|---|
| Vaginal or anal sex without a condom with someone who has HIV and a detectable viral load | Sex with someone on effective treatment with an undetectable viral load |
| Oral sex without a condom, although UK guidelines do not recommend PEP after it | Kissing, hugging or shaking hands |
| Sharing needles, syringes or other injecting equipment | Sharing toilet seats, food, drinks or household items |
Can you get HIV from kissing?
No. HIV is not passed on by kissing, hugging or shaking hands, or by sharing toilet seats, food, drinks or household items.
Undetectable means untransmittable
Someone with HIV who is having effective treatment and has an undetectable viral load cannot pass HIV on through sex. That is also why PEP is not recommended when a partner has been on treatment for at least 6 months, with an undetectable viral load and good adherence.
What is PEP, and when should you take it?
PEP, post-exposure prophylaxis, is emergency HIV medicine that may stop you getting infected after a risk. It should start as soon as possible, preferably within 24 hours, and it is not started more than 72 hours after the risk. The course lasts 28 days. It is available from sexual health clinics and emergency departments, which take a blood test first, for HIV and for kidney and liver function, but do not delay PEP while waiting for the results.
Swipe sideways to compare →
| Situation | PEP? | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Sex without a condom, or a split condom, with a partner who has HIV and is not on effective treatment, or whose status is unknown | May be recommended, depending on the type of sex and the partner’s risk | Go to a sexual health clinic or emergency department now |
| Partner on HIV treatment for at least 6 months, with an undetectable viral load and good adherence | Not recommended | No PEP needed; test for other STIs if needed |
| Oral sex, giving or receiving, with or without ejaculation | Not recommended | Test for other STIs if needed |
| Kissing, hugging, sharing food or a toilet seat | Not needed: no risk | No HIV test needed for this |
| The risk was more than 72 hours ago | Not started | Test at the right times instead |
If PEP is started, take every dose for the full 28 days. Follow-up HIV testing is done at least 45 days after the course ends, which is about 73 days, or 10.5 weeks, after the risk.
What about PrEP?
PrEP, pre-exposure prophylaxis, is HIV medicine taken before sex by people at higher risk, to avoid getting HIV. It usually comes as tablets taken every day or on demand, and some people have an injection every 2 months instead. It is prescribed through sexual health clinics, and the doctor can tell you whether it would suit you.
When is an HIV test reliable?
It depends on the type of test. Every test has a window period: the time after a risk during which an infection may not show up yet. A test inside the window period can still be useful, but a negative result needs repeating once the window has passed.
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| Test | Reliable from | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Laboratory blood test (fourth generation, antigen and antibody) | 45 days after the risk | Sexual health clinics, family doctors, some charities |
| Rapid finger-prick test | 90 days after the risk | Some clinics |
| Self-test kit | Longer than a laboratory test: check the kit’s leaflet | Pharmacies; choose a kit marked for self-testing with a CE mark |
A positive self-test or rapid test needs a confirmatory blood test at a clinic. If that is positive too, you are referred to an HIV clinic for further tests and treatment.
How often should you test for HIV?
- after any risk, at the right time for the test you use
- at least once a year if you are a sexually active man who has sex with men, unless you have one long-term partner and are only with each other
- every 3 months if you are a man who has sex with men at higher risk, for example with more than 10 partners a year
- once a year if you inject drugs or do sex work
- if a partner is diagnosed with HIV
HIV in Europe: why testing early matters
Almost half of people diagnosed with HIV in the EU and EEA are diagnosed late, when their immune system is already weakened. These are the latest figures, from the joint WHO Europe and ECDC report published in November 2025:
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| Measure | EU/EEA (30 countries) | WHO European Region (53 countries) |
|---|---|---|
| New HIV diagnoses in 2024 | 24,164 (5.3 per 100,000 people) | 105,922 |
| Diagnosed late (CD4 count below 350 cells/mm³) | 48% | 54% |
| Most common route | Sex between men, 48%; heterosexual sex, nearly 46% and rising | – |
Late diagnosis is most common in people infected through heterosexual sex, especially men, and in people who inject drugs. In the EU and EEA, migrants account for more than half of new diagnoses. HIV testing is for anyone who has had a risk, not only for particular groups.
What happens if an HIV test is positive?
A positive self-test or rapid test means you could have HIV, and a blood test at a clinic confirms it. If it is confirmed, an HIV clinic arranges further tests and treatment. There is no cure, but with treatment most people with HIV live a long and healthy life, most never develop AIDS, and someone with an undetectable viral load cannot pass HIV on through sex.
What might the doctor recommend after a possible HIV exposure?
What happens next depends on when the risk was, what it was, and which tests you have had. This is the framework the doctors use, in line with UK guidelines:
Swipe sideways to compare →
| What you have | Likely first step | Suitable for online care? | When in-person care is needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| A risk in the last 72 hours | PEP at a sexual health clinic or emergency department | No | Go now; do not wait for a video call |
| A risk more than 72 hours ago | HIV and STI tests at the right times | Yes, to assess and plan | For the tests |
| A flu-like illness or rash weeks after a risk | An HIV test now, and again after the window period | Yes, to assess | For the test |
| Oral sex, kissing or other contact with little or no HIV risk | Reassurance, and STI tests if needed | Yes | Not needed for HIV |
| A reactive self-test | A confirmatory blood test at a clinic | Yes, to explain | For the confirmatory test |
| Taking PEP, with side effects or questions | Advice, and contact with the clinic that prescribed it | Partly | The prescribing clinic for any change |
| Interested in PrEP | A referral to a sexual health clinic | Partly | PrEP is started at a clinic |
Worried about a recent risk? A doctor can tell you in one consultation whether PEP could help and which tests you need.
See available times →PEP, tests and treatment: what to do
What you can do yourself
- If the risk was in the last 72 hours, go for PEP now, ideally within 24 hours.
- Note the date and time of the risk.
- If you start PEP, take all 28 days of it.
- Use condoms until your follow-up HIV test is negative.
- Test for other STIs as well, and repeat any HIV test that was done inside its window period.
- Do not wait for symptoms: many people with HIV have none for years.
Prescription treatment
A prescription is never issued without a consultation. PEP, HIV tests and HIV treatment are provided in person by sexual health clinics, HIV clinics and emergency departments, so the doctor by video tells you where to go and how quickly rather than prescribing them. When tests find another infection that suits online care, such as chlamydia, the doctor may prescribe its treatment. If the doctor prescribes, use the prescription at a pharmacy near you.
What does not help
Waiting to see whether symptoms appear. One test inside the window period, never repeated. HIV medicine borrowed from someone else. Stopping PEP early.
Special situations
After a sexual assault
Go to an emergency department or a specialist sexual assault service as soon as you can. They can offer emergency contraception and protection from infections, including PEP within 72 hours, and take forensic samples, which are best taken early. It is still worth getting advice if it happened more than 7 days ago.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
Tell the clinic if you are pregnant or breastfeeding: UK guidance covers PEP in pregnancy and breastfeeding, and your maternity team should know. HIV testing is part of antenatal care.
A risk while travelling in Europe
If you are abroad, go promptly to an emergency department or a sexual health clinic and ask about PEP. Keep a note of the medicine you are given and how many days are left, and arrange the follow-up test when you are home. A doctor by video can help you plan the tests.
If you take PrEP
If you have missed doses before a risk, tell the clinic: the guidance covers when PEP should be considered for people who use PrEP.
Children
Mobi Doctor consultations are for adults aged 18 and over. A child who is unwell needs a paediatrician or a local doctor in person, and emergency signs in a child mean 112.
When HIV is assessed online, and when you need in-person care
Assessed online: your risk after a possible exposure, whether PEP could help and where to get it, which tests you need and when, results and what they mean, PrEP questions, and testing plans.
In-person care: PEP, every HIV test and confirmatory test, HIV treatment and monitoring, care after a sexual assault, and any emergency sign.
When to get in-person care
Call 112 or go to an emergency department now for:
- a possible HIV exposure in the last 72 hours, if a sexual health clinic is not open
- a sexual assault
- a needle injury from a used needle
- difficulty breathing, confusion or collapse
Get medical advice the same day for:
- a flu-like illness or a new rash in the weeks after a risk
- side effects that stop you taking PEP
- a reactive or positive self-test
How Mobi Doctor works
- Book a time that suits you: daily 7am–11pm CEST. You can see a doctor over video, usually within 15 minutes. No subscription, and the exact price is shown before you pay.
- Speak to a licensed doctor about what happened: give the date and time of the risk, what kind of contact it was, what you know about the other person, and any tests you have had.
- Leave with a plan: what to do, what to take and for how long, and which signs mean you should be seen in person. If the doctor prescribes, use the prescription at a pharmacy near you.
No sign-up needed
Worried about symptoms after an HIV risk? Tick every symptom you have to see each condition page that mentions it. It finds the right page, not a diagnosis: a doctor gives you that on a video call.
Tap the body — an area or a point — to browse symptoms anywhere
Similar symptoms, different condition? Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) can start the same way. Compare them, or look up any other symptom in the full symptom checker.
Frequently asked questions about HIV testing and PEP
What are the first signs of HIV?
Many people have none for years. Some have a short flu-like illness 2 to 6 weeks after infection, with a sore throat, high temperature, swollen glands, aching muscles, tiredness or a rash. Only a test can confirm or rule out HIV.
Can you get HIV from kissing?
No. HIV is not passed on by kissing, hugging, shaking hands, sharing toilet seats, food, drinks, cutlery or towels, or by coughs, sneezes or insect bites, because the virus does not survive outside the body and saliva does not carry enough of it. HIV is passed on through sex without a condom, sharing injecting equipment, and from mother to baby in pregnancy, birth or breastfeeding.
What is PEP?
Post-exposure prophylaxis: emergency HIV medicine that may stop you getting infected after a risk. It is taken for 28 days and comes from sexual health clinics and emergency departments.
What causes HIV infection, and which exposures count as a risk for PEP?
HIV is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus entering the bloodstream through the lining of the vagina, rectum or penis, through broken skin or directly into a vein; the exposures that count as a risk for PEP are anal or vaginal sex without a condom with a partner who has HIV and is not on effective treatment, or whose status is unknown and who is from a high-prevalence group, sharing injecting equipment, and a needlestick injury. Oral sex, kissing and intact-condom sex do not qualify.
How soon do I need PEP?
PEP should be started as soon as possible, preferably within 24 hours of the risk. It is not started more than 72 hours after the risk, so go straight to a sexual health clinic or an emergency department.
What can you do yourself in the hours after a possible HIV exposure?
Do not wait to see whether symptoms appear: go to a sexual health clinic or emergency department for PEP within 72 hours, as soon as possible, taking details of the exposure and the time with you; wash the genital area or wound with water, without douching or scrubbing, which does not reduce HIV risk and can increase it; do not take someone else’s HIV medicine; and plan STI tests, emergency contraception if needed, and a repeat HIV test at 45 days.
Is PEP needed after oral sex?
UK guidelines do not recommend PEP after oral sex, whether giving or receiving and with or without ejaculation, because the risk of HIV from oral sex alone is very low. A test for other STIs, such as gonorrhoea and chlamydia of the throat, may still be worthwhile after unprotected oral sex.
How long after a risk is an HIV test accurate?
A fourth-generation laboratory HIV blood test is reliable from 45 days after the risk, and a rapid finger-prick test from 90 days. An earlier test can be useful, but a negative result needs repeating after the window period.
Are home HIV tests reliable?
Self-tests are useful if you choose a kit marked for self-testing with a CE mark, but they have a longer window period than laboratory tests. A positive self-test always needs a confirmatory blood test at a clinic.
Is HIV curable?
There is no cure for HIV yet, but daily antiretroviral treatment reduces the virus to undetectable levels within months, lets the immune system recover, and gives most people with HIV a normal life expectancy; treatment is started as soon as HIV is diagnosed, whatever the stage, and someone whose viral load stays undetectable cannot pass HIV on through sex. Most people on treatment never develop AIDS.
Can someone on HIV treatment pass it on?
No, not through sex if they are on effective treatment with an undetectable viral load for at least 6 months: undetectable means untransmittable, a finding confirmed in large studies of thousands of couples with no transmissions. It applies to sex, not to sharing needles or breastfeeding, where some risk remains, and it depends on taking the HIV treatment every day and keeping up the blood tests.
How often should I test for HIV?
Test for HIV after any risk, at the right time for the test. Sexually active men who have sex with men are advised to test at least once a year, and every 3 months with higher risk; people who inject drugs or do sex work, once a year.
How can HIV be prevented?
Condoms used correctly for anal and vaginal sex prevent HIV and most other STIs; PrEP, a daily or on-demand tablet taken before and after sex, cuts the risk of HIV by around 99% in people at ongoing risk and is available through sexual health clinics across much of Europe; people with HIV on effective treatment cannot pass it on through sex; never share injecting equipment; and testing regularly, with PEP after a risk, closes the gaps. Vaccines against HIV are still in trials.
How common is HIV in Europe?
In 2024 there were 24,164 new HIV diagnoses in the EU and EEA, 5.3 per 100,000 people, and 48% were diagnosed late, when the immune system was already weakened.
Is it HIV seroconversion or just flu?
You cannot tell from the symptoms. Some people have a short flu-like illness 2 to 6 weeks after HIV infection, with a sore throat, a high temperature, swollen glands, aching muscles, tiredness and a rash, but these symptoms are common with other infections, so they can neither confirm nor rule out HIV: only a test can. If you had a risk in the last few weeks and feel unwell, get an HIV test and give the clinic the date of the exposure.
Can an online doctor prescribe PEP?
No. PEP comes from sexual health clinics and emergency departments. A doctor by video can judge the risk, tell you whether PEP could help and where to get it now, and plan your tests.
- HIV and AIDS, NHS, National Health Service (UK), reviewed 9 July 2025.
- HIV and AIDS: symptoms, NHS, National Health Service (UK), reviewed 9 July 2025.
- HIV and AIDS: diagnosis, NHS, National Health Service (UK), reviewed 9 July 2025.
- HIV and AIDS: prevention, NHS, National Health Service (UK), reviewed 9 July 2025.
- UK guideline for the use of HIV post-exposure prophylaxis 2021, BASHH and BHIVA, 2021, with 2023 amendment.
- Adult HIV testing guidelines 2020, BHIVA, BASHH and BIA, 2020.
- Europe’s hidden HIV crisis: HIV/AIDS surveillance in Europe 2025 (2024 data), WHO Regional Office for Europe and ECDC, 27 November 2025.
- Help after rape and sexual assault, NHS, National Health Service (UK), reviewed 6 November 2024.
This page is for information only and is not a substitute for a medical consultation. Guideline links are provided for transparency; treatment decisions are made with your doctor.
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