Today marks the 15th annual National HIV Testing Day, organized by the National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA). HIV and AIDS prevention advocates encourage routine testing for HIV/AIDS and education programs that teach young people about risky behaviors and methods to prevent contracting the virus.
Recent studies show that the rate of infection among women — particularly Latina and African-American women — is rising at an alarming rate. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there was a 17 percent increase of HIV/AIDS among women from 2001 to 2005. Additionally, HIV/AIDS is now a leading cause of death among African-American women ages 24 to 34, Black AIDS Institute, an advocacy group, reports.
According to the Guttmacher Institute, 35 states currently mandate HIV/AIDS education within public schools. Organizations like NAPWA and the Black AIDS Institute, which launched a campaign this week with black entertainers encouraging over 1 million black Americans to get an HIV test, are committed to supplementing public school education with information online and advertising campaigns.
LEARN MORE Visit www.HIVTest.org to find an HIV testing site near you
