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New Hope for Stopping HIV World AIDS Day December 1

HEALTH DISTRICT OFFERS FREE HIV TESTING
One Out of Five Americans with HIV Don’t Know They’re Infected

In recognition of World AIDS Day on December 1, 2011, Southwest District Health will offer free HIV quick tests on a walk-in basis from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the new Canyon County facility located at 13307 Miami Lane near the corner of Highway 55 & Florida in Caldwell. No appointment is needed.

“Too many people don’t know they have HIV, so World Aids Day is a call to action to continue to improve our efforts to prevent HIV. Testing is the only way to identify the one in five of all Americans with HIV who do not know they are infected,” said Diane Markus, Family Health Services Administrator for Southwest District Health. “Testing early can lead to timely care and treatment that can improve the health of a person with HIV and prevent them from giving the virus to their partners,” she said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that HIV testing be a routine part of health care. Specific recommendations include:
  • Everyone ages 13-64 should be tested at least once
  • Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men should be tested at least annually
  • Others at high risk for HIV, such as injection-drug users and their sex partners, persons who exchange sex for money or drugs, and sex partners of HIV infected persons should also be tested at least once a year
  • Women should be tested during each pregnancy
“World AIDS Day gives us the opportunity to promote the importance of HIV testing and early diagnosis to help ensure more people with the disease can live longer and healthier lives,” said Markus. “Without testing, people who have HIV and don’t know it won’t be able to get the care and treatment they need. They are also at greater risk for serious health problems and for early death,” she said.

World AIDS Day first emerged on December 1, 1988, from the World Summit of Ministers of Health on Programs for AIDS Prevention to open channels of communication, strengthen the exchange of information, and forge a spirit of social tolerance.

For more information, call Southwest District Health at 208.455.5345.

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