“CDC estimates that 55 percent of adults – and 28 percent of adults with a risk factor for HIV – have not been tested.  Too many people living with HIV are being tested and diagnosed too late to take advantage of effective HIV treatment and prevention options.”
- Dr. Kevin A. Fenton, Director,
CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS Prevention

Today is National HIV Testing Day, now in its 17th year.  Given that 1.2 million Americans are living with HIV and one in five is unaware of his or her infection, the goal of this annual event is to promote regular testing and early diagnosis.

If you haven’t gotten tested recently, here are three quick ways to locate a testing center near you:

• Use the online HIV/AIDS Prevention & Service Providers Locator.
• Visit HIVtest.org to find locations and learn about different tests.
• Send a text message with your zip code to KNOWIT (566948).

Scared to take the test?  It’s perfectly understandable.  But there are good reasons to do it.  If you test negative, you can be certain of your status. If you test positive, you can begin receiving specialized care and treatment to help you stay healthy. You can also look to the 3,000+ patients in PatientsLikeMe’s HIV community for information and support.

More than 30 years after the discovery of AIDS, things are very different.  Thanks to advances in treatment, you can live a long, productive life with HIV, just like basketball legend Magic Johnson, who is now 20 years post-diagnosis and recently narrated an ESPN documentary about his experience entitled “The Announcement.”

So don’t put it off – get tested today.

Have you been tested for HIV recently? Yes, you.

As we wrote in a recent blog, an estimated one in five people with HIV in the US are unaware of their infection. That “one” could be you or someone you know. So instead of wondering, find out your status today during National HIV Testing Day, now in its 16th year. The message is “take the test, take control.”

Use this online locator to find a screening facility near you, and if you’d like, you can research the various types of HIV tests available beforehand. Depending on the individual facility, you may be able to get rapid results in as short as 20 minutes using a method that involves taking a swab of saliva.

Are you afraid to find out the test results? You are not alone. There are benefits to knowing, however. If you test negative, you can be confident of your status. If you test positive, you can begin receiving specialized care and treatment to help you stay healthy. You can also look to the 2,961 HIV patients at PatientsLikeMe for information and support.

Thirty years after the discovery of AIDS, it’s now possible to live a long, productive life with HIV, thanks to advances in treatment. Take basketball legend Magic Johnson, who took the brave step of revealing his HIV+ status in 1991. As a successful businessman and NBA commentator now in his fifties, he is a poster child for thriving with HIV.

So be brave too – and get tested today.

On June 5, 1981, the Centers for Disease Control’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) described the first reported cases of AIDS in the US.  Thirty years later, AIDS.gov is observing this date with a campaign called “The Federal Government and 30 Years of AIDS.”

What have we learned about Human Immunodefiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in the last three decades? And how well are we doing as a country with HIV/AIDS education, screening, treatment and research?  Hear answers from the country’s top experts during a live webcast today, June 1, at 3:00 p.m. EDT.

Sponsored by AIDS.gov (who has a guest profile at PatientsLikeMe) and the White House, this live video chat features Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin, Director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy Jeffrey Crowley, and Director of the Division of AIDS at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Dr. Carl Dieffenbach. To join in, submit questions in advance, watch live at WhiteHouse.gov/live and submit live questions during the discussion on Facebook.

Here at PatientsLikeMe, we have 2,948 members who report living with HIV. Beyond what they share on their individual patient profiles about their symptoms, treatments and quality of life, they also offer their perspectives in our forum, where common topics include the psychological aspects of being HIV+ and how to approach dating post-diagnosis. What can you learn from other patients? One example is what to expect. More than 290 of our members have been diagnosed with HIV for 20 years or more, showing that living with HIV long-term is now possible.

Check out the video below featuring a member who’s lived with HIV for 25+ years.  Now with more than 35,000+ views on YouTube, this candid interview reveals how HIV awareness has evolved and how helpful it is for long-term survivors to be able to connect with others like them.

Finally, there’s a key takeaway from “30 Years of AIDS” that impacts us all: the importance of getting tested now that HIV tests (some with results in as short as 20 minutes) are readily available. According to the Centers for Disease Control, of the estimated one million people living with HIV in the US, one in five (21%) are unaware of their infection. Have you been tested recently? If not, June 27, 2011, is National HIV Testing Day. Use this handy locator to find a screening facility near you.

If you’re older than 30, AIDS came about in your lifetime. If you’re younger than 30, you’ve only known a world with AIDS. What has that meant for you – and for your generation? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

Today – June 27, 2009 – is National HIV Testing Day.

AIDS.gov, the one-stop access to U.S. Government HIV/AIDS information and an organization PatientsLikeMe collaborates with to raise awareness of HIV, has been running a campaign all month to promote National HIV Testing Day.  As part of the campaign, AIDS.gov launched the “I Know. I Took the Test” blog series, featuring videos and stories of people talking about what taking an HIV test means to them. The series highlights several HIV testing story campaigns from organizations such as the National Association of People Living with AIDS , POZ , Southern AIDS Living Quilt , The Positive Project , and others.

In support of this campaign, PatientsLikeMe recently invited members of our HIV community to tell us in a few sentences about their experience and/or thoughts about HIV testing.  Here’s what they had to say:

“I think it is probably the single most important thing a person can do for him/herself. The test will show if a person is infected, important knowledge no matter how it turns out.”

“Getting tested for HIV is so important. The knowledge of knowing can make a difference as to how you will live your journey in life.”

“Being tested for me caused me to change my outlook on sex, changed my life in such a way that gives me a opportunity to speak on the importance of being tested , and to share information about treatment, and that there is a life after testing takes place.  If we ever what to see an end to this very serious problem across the world we must continue to speak and encourage testing  in all walks of life.  Moot for me I think not, important to get the word out yes,yes, yes.   Experience is the best teacher.”

“I agree that experience is our best teacher. If you haven’t experienced things how could you give advice?”

“Knowledge is power, knowing your HIV status truly allows you to start living a healthier life, whether you’re are positive or negative.”

Want to know more about how to spread the word on HIV testing? Check out the latest promotions at AIDS.gov and, as always, feel free to share your own experiences there and with PatientsLikeMe.