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June 27, 2008
Posted: 12:27 PM ET
By Miriam Falco You may have heard the news yesterday, that New York City wants everyone in the Bronx tested for HIV (read story). But this is not a local New York effort. It’s part of a nationwide campaign. Today is “National HIV Testing Day.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates nearly 40 percent of those infected with HIV don’t find out until they’re already sick with AIDS. The CDC also reports that more than a million people were living with HIV/AIDS in the United States in 2003. What’s really striking is that they say about 1 in 4 of those didn’t know they were infected. Knowing you’ve been infected with HIV as early as possible is key to living longer. Here’s how the CDC’s Director of the National Center for HIV/AIDS put it: “If you are infected, you can take steps to protect your health and that of your partners as well as seek life-extending medical treatment. People who learn they are not infected can take steps to help ensure they remain uninfected.” Preventing HIV transmission, by avoiding risky behavior (i.e. having unprotected sex or sharing needles), is of course the primary goal of public health officials. But on this 16th “National HIV Testing Day” it’s clear that knowing your HIV status is critical too. If you are wondering where you can get an HIV test, you can find a testing site by clicking on www.hivtest.org. I did and found there are 23 sites within a ten mile radius of CNN. Advocates would like to see HIV testing as part of everyone’s routine health check-up. Have you been recently tested for HIV? Do you think it should be part of your regular medical check-up? Editor’s Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation. Posted by: Miriam Falco - CNN Medical Managing Editor |
Get a behind-the-scenes look at the latest stories from CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, and the CNN Medical Unit producers. They'll share news and views on health and medical trends -- info that will help you take better care of yourself and the people you love. Editor's Note
Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation. @sanjayguptacnn: this is what i've been working on the past several days: http://tr.im/scjf - watch for more this week #cnn #truth
Updated: Mon, 13 Jul 2009 23:21:25 +0000 @sanjayguptacnn: http://twitpic.com/a8gl5 - there are some remarkably beautiful areas of haiti. ocean and mountains of port au prince. more this week.
Updated: Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:29:20 +0000 @sanjayguptacnn: saw this in july's fortune magazine:
"don't eat anything that's not worth eating". think abt that b4 every meal. #1023
Updated: Mon, 13 Jul 2009 12:04:18 +0000 @sanjayguptacnn: http://twitpic.com/a4awr - on the road in haiti. half a mile of stairs. carrying the tripod to add more exercise #1023
Updated: Sun, 12 Jul 2009 14:02:24 +0000 @sanjayguptacnn: http://twitpic.com/a41ck - 5a.slums of port au prince. no water supply system here, these kids are it. 5 gallon tubs, over 40#, 10 times ...
Updated: Sun, 12 Jul 2009 11:13:04 +0000 Recent Posts
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