People living with HIV in the Borders can access HIV monitoring, care and treatment through Borders Sexual Health. The service is provided in Galashiels Health Centre by a Consultant and a small team of Specialist Nurses working with a Specialist Pharmacist.
If you have had a new diagnosis of HIV or have moved in to the area please do not hesitate in contacting us to make an appointment.
Treatment
There is no cure for HIV, but once it is diagnosed you can start effective treatment that will help you live a long and healthy life.
You might not need to start treatment straight away but only an HIV doctor can work this out with you. If you were to wait until you were ill to seek medical advice it would be a lot more difficult to control your HIV and make you well.
It’s important to remember:
- Successful HIV treatment means you can expect to live as long as
anyone else - This treatment can be as simple as taking one or two pills, once a
day - Once your treatment is working properly, you may only have to see a
doctor once or twice a year
Also remember: U=U (undetectable = untransmittable)
Treatment is now so effective that most people have an undetectable viral load within 6 months making the virus untransmissible, even if having sex without condoms. This is a large international campaign to highlight to all that U=U (undetectable = untransmissible).
- You can still have a great sex life – either with condoms, or even without once your treatment is working properly.
- HIV positive parents can have HIV negative children
You can find more information on HIV on NHS Inform
