Get tested
By Dave Rumsey
© 2007 Dave Rumsey

This World AIDS Day will mark a milestone anniversary its organizers hoped they’d never see: Dec. 1, 2007, is the 20th year since the World Health Organization first established the commemorative day to focus global attention on the devastating impact that HIV/AIDS has had on the world.

Over 25 million people worldwide have died of AIDS since it was first identified more than two-and-a-half decades ago, according to U.N. estimates. Another 40 million people are living with HIV. Last year, some 4.1 million people became newly infected with the virus.

But one need look no further than one’s own backyard to see the toll this deadly virus has taken. In the United States, more than half a million deaths have been linked to AIDS since it was first identified in 1981. In Philadelphia, more than 30,000 people are currently living with HIV/AIDS.

These are sobering statistics to consider as we mark yet another World AIDS Day. Still, there are measures we can take that will stem this devastating epidemic. First and foremost: Get tested! Most experts agree that knowing one’s HIV status is the all-important first step in curbing the rate of new HIV infections. Of the roughly one million HIV-positive people living in the U.S., about one in four is unaware of his/her infection — and therefore able to unknowingly infect more people as a result.

Getting tested for HIV has never been easier. Rapid HIV antibody tests require no more than a single drop of blood or an oral swab, and results are available in 20-30 minutes.

Over the last week, the Mazzoni Center has been gearing up for World AIDS Day by increasing testing hours and the number of HIV specialists available onsite to test. The good news is that we have seen testing numbers spike: The message is getting out. And getting tested really does help save lives!

WHERE TO GO

The Mazzoni Center will be doing Rapid HIV testing at its satellite testing center from noon-8 p.m. Dec. 1 at Washington West Project, 1201 Locust St.; no appointment necessary. Mazzoni will also be testing out of its mobile testing unit at the World AIDS Day commemorative event, which will be held from 1-4 p.m. at Broad Street Ministry Church, 315 S. Broad St.

World AIDS Day is just one day a year, but Mazzoni Center provides HIV testing and STD screenings throughout the year. Visit its satellite location (above) or call (215) 563-0658 ext. 606 to make an appointment at its main site at 1201 Chestnut St., third floor.

Dave Rumsey is communications director for the Mazzoni Center.