Free HIV testing this week for World AIDS Day

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says more than 1.2 million Americans are living with HIV and roughly one in eight is unaware of his or her infection.

UNAIDS has stated that the recent rate of increase of the number of people receiving ARVs puts the global HIV fight to see another doubling of the figure by 2020.

The National AIDS Trust (NAT) is challenging people to rethink negative stereotypes, forget old traditions and be positive about HIV.

Furthermore, he said that discrimination and stigma that exist in our healthcare system and society prevent people who are aware of their HIV-status from seeking treatment. “For instance, it is unacceptable that 21 per cent of new adult HIV infections should occur among young women of between 15-24 years of age annually”, the First Lady said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that in the United States, there are now hundreds of thousands of people who don’t know that they are infected, and continue to spread the disease without starting treatment.

These trends have not been even around the world.

The theme for World AIDS Day this year set by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) is “On the Fast-Track to End AIDS” in the hope of terminating AIDS by 2030 through different stages of control and prevention measures.

“The fortunate thing is with our medications, we can now actually restore them to good health”.

“This is the first, definitive report on adolescents – teenagers between 10 and 19”, said Wing-Sie Cheng, Unicef’s regional adviser on HIV and AIDS.

Starting Monday, Dec. 7 Eastern Idaho Public Health will offer free HIV testing.

People in the Knoxville community and across the world on Tuesday remembered lives lost to HIV and AIDS and those who are now battling the disease.

He added that the key to tackling the problem of HIV infections in the country, is a population that is actively engaged in their own health and well-being.

Several other local organizations also showing their support: including Savannah State University-a campus where peer educator Torrey Butler says they work to provide education about HIV and AIDS every day.