Testing key on World AIDS Day

Treatments help people to live long, healthy lives

In the 1980s, the words “HIV” and “AIDS” were two of the scariest out there.

The virus was first identified in 1984, and since then, more than 35 million people have died of HIV or AIDS. It’s still a scary concept, yet much has changed since 1984.

Friday, Dec. 1, is World AIDS Day, with the theme, “Increasing impact through transparency, accountability and partnerships.”

Today, globally, an estimated 36.7 million people have the virus. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that 1 in 2 people with HIV have had the virus for at least three years before diagnosis. About 15 percent of people with HIV don’t know they have it, and 40 percent of new HIV infections come from this population group.

And yet, 7 in 10 people at high risk for HIV who weren’t tested last year saw a health care provider during that year. Translation: People are not getting tested for HIV. That’s a problem, because today, HIV is no longer the death sentence it once was. Care and treatment can help individuals manage and control the virus, allowing people to live long, healthy lives — while at the same time actively preventing the virus from spreading.

HIV can be transmitted through sexual conduct, sharing needles, or from a mother to a baby during pregnancy, birth or breast-feeding, the CDC reports.

Yet it can be prevented by using condoms, limiting the number of sex partners, and not injecting drugs or sharing needles, according to the CDC.

The final piece of the equation is getting tested for HIV, knowing where you stand healthwise, and taking appropriate measures to protect both yourself and those you love.

This week, the Yuma County Health Department will offer free HIV testing and information at the agency’s office, 2200 W. 28th St., through Friday. To learn more, call 928-317-4540.