June 27th, National HIV Testing Day

by Thomas Henning


Friday, June 27^th, is National HIV Testing Day, a day that is sadly not receiving the attention it rightfully deserves.

In lieu of this, I want to use my blog to share some recent statistics from the CDC, to give you a snap shot of how the HIV/AIDS epidemic is affecting communities across the country.

- There are about 1.2 million people living with HIV/AIDS in the United States right now.

- 1 out of every 4 people with HIV doesn’t know they are infected, greatly increasing the chances of spreading the virus.

- HIV was the 4^th leading cause of death for African American men, and the 3^rd for African American women.

- HIV infection has risen 1000% among heterosexuals since 1985.

- In 2005, teen girls represented 43% of AIDS cases reported among 13 – 19 year olds.

We have much more work to do before this disease is eradicated and there are many ways to be a proactive member of not only your personal community, but your professional community as well. Make sure your human resources department has HIV/AIDS Fact Sheets on hand to distribute to employees who need information. Have a list of testing centers in your area on hand to distribute to employees and loved ones. Have the latest HIV/AIDS prevention methods your employee training curriculum.

Empowering individuals with the knowledge of their status and preventative measures to maintain an HIV negative status is vital to releasing the choke hold the virus has on many communities around the United States. Visit www.cablepositive.org for HIV/AIDS-related public service announcements and to learn about more ways to make a difference in your community.