Emergency Help

PEP (Post Exposure Prophylaxis) is medication that you can take if you think you have been exposed to HIV. You need to start the treatment within 72 hours of the possible infection. The sooner you start, the more effective it is.

PEP can only offer some protection and it can’t be guaranteed that it will prevent you from becoming HIV positive. PEP does not protect you from any other sexually transmitted diseases.

Do I need PEP?

If it is possible that you have been exposed to HIV by having unprotected sex (vaginal or anal) or sharing injecting equipment, it is really important that you speak to a doctor, nurse or sexual health worker to get more information.

How can I get PEP?

You can get PEP from your local sexual health clinic or Accident & Emergency department. You will not need an appointment and they will try to see you as soon as possible as every hour counts.

If it is an evening or a weekend, or you can’t go to your nearest sexual health clinic, please go to your nearest Accident & Emergency department. Not all of these departments will be aware of PEP, so it’s important that you take some information with you. You can print off this page by clicking the printer icon to the right or take this page with you on your mobile device.

PEP is not available from your GP or any pharmacies.

Also, remember to take a look at ways to prevent HIV and get regular HIV tests.

Are you a man who has sex with men? Do you live in Leeds? Getting a HIV test has never been easier! You can now order your testing kit and collect it from our Leeds office at a time that best suits you. If you have recently had anal sex without a condom, it’s a good idea to get an HIV test.

Treatments for HIV have never been better and the sooner you know your status the sooner you can take control of your health. To do the test you will need to prick your finger and provide a small sample of your blood in a bottle. You then put this in the post and you will get your results within five working days. Your results will be given to you via text message.

This test is highly accurate after 4 weeks, 100% after 8 weeks from when you may have come into contact with HIV.

If you have any more questions you can call Yorkshire MESMAC on 01132 444 209.

If you have been sexually assaulted or raped, please remember it is not your fault. Regardless of what you might have been wearing, how much you’d had to drink or who was involved.

• Call 999 for emergency assistance from the Police
• Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) – 01924 298954 (Helpline) Monday to Friday 9:00am to 5:00pm

There is a confidential answer phone which you can use to leave messages outside working hours. The offence does not have to be reported to the Police in order to access the service.

Collect Evidence
If you want forensic evidence to be collected, you should try and seek help within 72 hours and if possible, take these steps:

• Don’t wash
• Don’t brush your teeth
• Do not change your clothes
• If you do change your clothes, do not wash them and put them in a clean plastic bag
• Try not go to the toilet
• Do not clear up anything from the area of the incident

Don’t worry: if you have already done some of these things. It’s possible that there is still forensic evidence to collect.

Remember: it is your choice whether you want to collect evidence, report to the police or take no further action.