HIV/STD Prevention Program

HIV/STD Prevention Through Family Planning Services

The Harris County Public Health & Environmental Services (HCPHES) Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) / Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Prevention Program provides education, counseling, and testing services to help prevent the spread of HIV and STDs.

HIV and STDs – General Information

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is an infection that passes from one person to another through sexual contact or contact with infected blood or body fluids. When people are infected with HIV, the virus causes serious damage to their immune systems, making it easy for them to catch other infections or to develop certain kinds of cancer. The most advanced stage of HIV infection is called Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, or AIDS, and it can be deadly. HIV infection cannot be cured, but now people infected with HIV can take medication and live longer lives if the infection is found early enough.

Besides HIV, there are many other sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs). Some of them can be cured, like gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis. Others cannot be cured, like Hepatitis B, herpes and human papillomavirus. But all of them can cause serious damage to people’s health, even threatening their lives.

For more information on HIV and STDs:

The HCPHES HIV/STD Family Planning Clinics offers:

HIV/STD prevention counseling
HIV/STD testing
HIV Positive Referral services

HIV/STD counseling and testing services are offered to patients accessing Family Planning services within the four HCPHES clinics

When needed, patient referrals are made to partner agencies for:

Routine medical and social services
HIV risk reduction
Treatment for patients with HIV/AIDS

Sex and needle sharing partners of patients with HIV should be notified so that they can receive follow-up services. Two ways to let partners know that they have shared needles or sex with an HIV positive patient are:

The patient can contact them.
A Disease Intervention Specialist (a worker who is specifically trained and certified to tell people that they may be infected with HIV or other STDs) can notify them without telling them the patient’s name

Last updated: June 15, 2012
Harris County Public Health & Environmental Services
2223 West Loop South
Houston, TX 77027
Tel: (713) 439-6000
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