Monday, June 27, is National HIV Testing Day.

HIV test
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To help raise awareness and increase the number of people tested for HIV, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), is recognizing National HIV Testing Day through a series of events conducted by community partners throughout the state, including testing opportunities.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 1.2 million people in the United States are living with HIV, and that number grows by almost 50,000 every year. Further, one in eight people that are infected with HIV are unaware of their HIV status.

“For those living with HIV, getting medical care and taking medicines regularly allows individuals to live a longer, healthier life and also lowers the chances of passing HIV on to others,” said Dr. Eden Wells, chief medical executive with the MDHHS. “The key to HIV treatment, care, and prevention is learning one's status through testing.”

The CDC has found that more than 90 percent of new HIV infections in the U.S. could be prevented by testing and diagnosing people who have HIV and ensuring they receive prompt, ongoing care and treatment. HIV testing is the essential entry point to a continuum of prevention, health care, and social services that improve the quality of life and the length of survival for persons with HIV. Early linkage to and retention in HIV care is central to managing HIV and promoting health among all people living with HIV.

Medicines to treat HIV can keep people with HIV healthy for many years, and greatly reduce the chance of transmitting HIV to their sex partners. Recent findings show significantly greater health benefits for persons who start antiretroviral therapy earlier.

A list of National Testing Day events is available online. For more information about confidential testing, treatment, and counseling, visit www.michigan.gov/survivehiv.

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