Emergencies and Disasters and HIV

Emergency Preparedness: What Do People with HIV Need to Know?

All Americans should have a plan for what to do during a hurricane, flood, wildfire, or other emergency. But for people with HIV, it’s especially important to be prepared.

Plan ahead. To stay healthy, people with HIV must take HIV medicine (called antiretroviral therapy or ART) exactly as prescribed and get and keep an undetectable viral load—a level of HIV in your blood so low that a standard lab test can’t detect it. A natural disaster or other emergency may make it harder for you to do this. To avoid interruptions in your HIV treatment, ask your health care provider if you can get a 30-day (or longer) emergency prescription refill of your HIV medicine. Some states permit coverage for advanced refills of prescription medicine during an emergency, but laws vary by state. Learn more about Emergency Prescription Laws in your state.

Make a list of medicines and gather other medical paperwork. Keep a list of your HIV medicines and any others you take, their dosage amounts, frequency, allergies, and a summary of your HIV treatment history in case you have to see another provider temporarily. Make sure you have a copy of your insurance card and the phone numbers for your providers and pharmacies.

Communicate with your provider. Talk to your healthcare provider about what you should do if you run out of medicine due to an emergency and ask whether they recommend any specific precautions because you have HIV or other chronic diseases.

Follow safety guidelines. Be aware that some types of disasters may affect air and water quality—which can be even harder on people with HIV who are not virally suppressed and others with weakened immune systems. If you have HIV, disruptions in the availability of food and clean water can increase your risk for opportunistic infections. If proper sanitation and hygiene are an issue, it’s important to follow proper food and water safety guidelines. See CDC’s information on keeping food and water safe after a disaster or emergency. Also follow local guidance about exercise and going outside on days with poor air quality. See CDC’s many other fact sheets on protecting yourself in the event of severe weather and natural disasters.

Wash your hands. Regular handwashing with soap and clean water is the best way to remove germs that can make you and others sick. If you don’t have soap and clean water, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Keep in mind: Soap and water work to remove all types of germs from hands, but sanitizers do not eliminate all types of germs and might not remove harmful chemicals.

Learn how you can get emergency prescription assistance. The Department of Health and Human Service’s Emergency Prescription Assistance Program may be activated after a disaster. It is a free service that helps people in a federally identified disaster who do not have health insurance get the prescription drugs, vaccinations, medical supplies, and equipment that they need. Learn more about the Emergency Prescription Assistance Program and how you can file a claim at more than 72,000 retail pharmacies across the U.S. and its territories for prescription items that were lost or destroyed in a disaster.

Stay Up to Date with Your Immunizations

Make sure the vaccines that are recommended for you are up to date. This includes vaccines for respiratory viruses such as COVID-19, flu, and RSV, especially in the fall and winter. Also check if you need a tetanus shot in case of injury in an emergency.

Resources to Help You Plan Ahead

There are many resources to help you prepare for emergencies and disasters:

• CDC’s Emergency Preparedness and Response site has information on how to keep yourself and your loved ones safe.
• Ready.gov offers tips and tools to help you plan ahead for many different kinds of disasters and emergencies.
• The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s State Homeland Security and Emergency Services page provides links to homeland security and public safety websites in your state.
• The FDA’s Emergency Preparedness | Drugs page offers information on the safe use of medicines that may be affected by fire, flooding, or unsafe water, or loss of refrigeration before or after natural disasters.

Help with Recovery

During and after a disaster, it is natural to experience different and strong emotions. Coping with these feelings and getting help when you need it will help you, your family, and your community recover from a disaster.

The Disaster Distress Helpline supports people who need crisis counseling after experiencing a traumatic event or disaster. Counselors are trained to offer immediate support to people who may be experiencing a range of symptoms. Call or text 1-800-985-5990. Or visit: disasterdistress.samhsa.gov.

CDC provides resources for Coping with a Disaster or Traumatic Event.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) also offers many resources to help Americans who are recovering from an emergency or disaster, including:

• Tips for Survivors: Coping with Grief After a Disaster or Traumatic Event offers information about grief, the grieving process, and resources to help with grief.
• Tips for Survivors: Coping with Anger After a Disaster or Other Traumatic Event discusses anger and offers tips for calming yourself.
• Tips for Survivors of a Disaster or Other Traumatic Event: Coping with Retraumitization discusses the signs and symptoms of retraumatization and how to manage it.