Jun 27, 2008

Free or low-cost HIV test available today

By Suzanne Bohan / Bay Area News Group

Agencies throughout the Bay Area are offering free or low-cost HIV testing today during the 16th annual National HIV Testing Day.

More than one-quarter of those infected with the HIV virus don't know it, since symptoms may not appear for years, experts say. But the yearly event, organized by the National Association of People with AIDS, aims to make it easy to find out.

The theme of this year's campaign is, "Take the Test. Take Control."

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends that everyone ages 13 to 64 be tested as a routine part of their medical care, since distinct populations are at risk of infection from the virus.

"Knowing your HIV status empowers you to help prevent the spread of the disease," said Dr. Kevin Fenton, director of the National Center for HIV/AIDS Prevention with the CDC.

"If you are infected, you can take steps to protect your health and that of your partners, as well as seek life-extending medical treatment," Fenton added.

HIV remains a major public health threat, disproportionately affecting blacks, Latinos and gay and bisexual men. Blacks account for almost half of new diagnoses in the United States, and Latinos 20 percent. Gay and bisexual men comprise nearly half of people living with HIV in the country.

The virus is transmitted through anal, vaginal or oral sex with an HIV-infected person; by sharing needles with an infected drug user; or from HIV-infected women to their babies before or during birth, or through breast-feeding.

Untreated, HIV can lead to AIDS, a condition in which the immune system is so weakened it can't fight off potentially deadly infections.

To find a nearby location offering free or low-cost testing, visit www.hivtest.org or call 800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636). Hundreds of locations around the Bay Area are offering the confidential testing.