Getting Your Results
Results are given five business days after the day you were tested.
To access your results, walk into clinic A at either Health Department location. You do not need an appointment. ID required for printed results.
If you get a negative test result, it means that the tests did not find an STI.
Remember that all tests have a “window” period. This is how long a virus or bacteria needs to have been in your body before a test can adequately detect it. If you were tested too soon, the test may not accurately detect a current infection. Talking with a counselor can help you determine when and how often to be tested for best results.
Consider Your Ongoing Prevention Strategy
This may include PrEP, a once-daily pill that is highly effective in protecting against HIV.
If you have multiple partners, consider testing every 3-6 months or at least once a year.
Continue practicing wearing condoms and using barrier methods effectively and regularly.
If You Believe You Have Come into Contact with an STI
Call 704-336-6500 for one of our counselors or a healthcare provider to discuss whether you should schedule a follow-up test or appointment for treatment.
If You Get a Positive Test Result
You will need to see a healthcare provider or make an appointment at a Mecklenburg County Public Health (MCPH) clinic. Treatment at MCPH is free and confidential. Call 704-336-6500.
You are not alone.
Finding out that you have a sexually transmitted infection (STI), can be confusing or even scary - but you are not alone. The majority of people who are sexually active will get at least one STI in their lifetime. With the proper care and medication, STIs can be treated and managed.
Notify all sexual partners to receive treatment.
They can make an appointment at the health department for free. Anyone you have had oral, anal, or vaginal/internal genital sex with may unknowingly pass the infection on to another person (or back to you). If left untreated the infection can develop into more serious health problems.
How to Tell Your Partner
It may be emotionally uncomfortable but telling your partners about STDs allows them to protect their health, too. Being diagnosed with an STD can cause many strong emotions. You may begin to question your trust in your partner or be worried that they will question their trust in you. Before you blame anyone, know that STDs are common and don't always cause symptoms. It is possible that you or your partner got the STD in a previous relationship without even knowing it. Keeping that in mind, talk to your partner as soon as possible. Be honest and straightforward.
- You can bring your partner to the clinic you went to.
- You can tell your partner to go to the clinic you went to. Your partner should tell clinic staff which infection you were diagnosed with. Sharing this information will help your partner get the correct tests and treatment.
- You may be able to get a prescription or medicine for both you and your partner from the clinic or from your doctor. This is called expedited partner therapy (EPT).
- Your partner can go to their own doctor or clinic (such as the local health department's STD clinic, a family planning clinic, a student health center, or an urgent care clinic).
For more help, call 704-432-TEST or check out these resources to get you started:
Not all STIs will Show Symptoms
You may still be infectious or have transmitted the infection to someone else. If you or a sexual partner has tested positive, call 704-336-6500 for one of our counselors or a healthcare provider to discuss whether you or a sexual partner should schedule a follow-up test or appointment for treatment.
Remember: A positive HIV self-test needs to be confirmed by a blood test in a medical setting.
If the follow-up test is also positive, you will start daily antiretroviral medication to lower your viral load. While not a cure, it is possible to reduce the viral load to levels undetectable by lab tests.
When HIV is undetectable it cannot be passed to others through sex.
With ongoing treatment, you can live a healthy, normal lifespan.