The CDC published the data in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report to mark National HIV Testing Day, which is June 27.
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According to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are an estimated 29,477 Marylanders diagnosed and known to be living with HIV/AIDS, while another 15.8 percent who are HIV positive remain undiagnosed and are not aware of their status. “There is some delay in getting the data reported before we can get it published, so hopefully by 2015 more states will have met the 90 percent standard”, Hall says. Studies present that almost 30% of latest instances are due to unprotected intercourse with individuals who don’t know they’re contaminated within the first place- that’s why analysis early on is essential. Not all of them self-identify as gay, making outreach more challenging.
AIDS Project Rhode Island also tests at colleges and universities across the state on a regular basis.
Peterson talked about the difficulty of reaching young black and Latino men. Others think of testing as unnecessary and hold on to the belief that HIV cannot happen to them.
The number of infections also varies widely based on location.
“People have this notion that it’s a death sentence”, she said. “There’s no conversation outside of when and where to meet”.
The Mobile County Health Department, AIDS Alabama South and Franklin Primary Health Center are partnering with the Walgreens store for the testing initiative in response to the domestic epidemic.
To put that in perspective, the rate per 100,000 people was 47.1 for blacks compared with 14.4 for whites. However, these seven states did not have enough new cases of HIV in recent years to allow for a statistically reliable estimate. As the Surveillance and Linkage Coordinator for the HIV Area One Program of the Florida Department of Health (DOH) in Escambia County, Maurice Moody wants as many people as possible to get tested for HIV this week.
Under the ACA and its coverage of preventive services, testing for HIV is more accessible than ever because, in many instances, payers such as private insurers, Medicaid and Medicare will pay for the test. For example, the ACA requires most private insurance plans to cover, without patient cost-sharing, preventive services that have been given an “A” or “B” grade by the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF).
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Pima County Supervisor Richard Elías and Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild received tests at the Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation in a nationwide campaign urging the public to get tested for the potentially life-threatening virus that affects a person’s immune system. Free condoms, giveaways and educational information will be available.
