NHM Health Focus: HIV Testing June 2009

According to Health Politics, "A large percentage of U.S. citizens with HIV are unaware of their condition. In fact, out of about 950,000 individuals who are positive, 280,000 – or 30 percent – don’t know it.

"According to recent statistics, out of those who have been diagnosed with HIV, 1 in 5 already have symptoms of AIDS at the time of diagnosis, reflecting well-advanced damage to their immune systems."

Now in its twelfth year, National HIV Testing Day (June 27, 2009) is a campaign to encourage individuals to receive voluntary HIV testing and counseling. HIV testing saves lives and saves money by enabling people to take control of their own lives, make choices that reduce the spread of HIV, and increase their personal chances of a longer, healthier life.

HIV and AIDS, Are You At Risk? published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), asks and answers common questions regarding HIV, AIDS and testing.

Frequently Asked Questions About HIV and HIV Testing provides links to answers to common questions about HIV tests and testing.

Find a testing center near you by searching the National HIV Testing Resources database.

Access Excellence @ the National Health Museum offers the following resources useful for understanding topics HIV and AIDS:

Health Headquarters: Health Focus - World AIDS Day 2008
Health Headquarters: Question of the Week - HIV and AIDS
Activities Exchange: Partners' Collection - Infectious Cycle Stages
Activities Exchange: Fellows Collection - The Spread of HIV Through a Population
Activities Exchange: Classic Collection - Demonstrating an Epidemic
Activities Exchange: Activities-to-Go - Virus Newspaper
Activities Exchange: Activities-to-Go - Immunology Unit
Activities Exchange: Partners' Collection - Student Investigation on the Immune System & Hemeagglutination
Resource Center: Visual Library (Graphics Gallery)- HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus)
Resource Center: Visual Library (Graphics Gallery) - Diagram of a Retrovirus
Resource Center: Visual Library (Graphics Gallery) - Retrovirus Replication
Resource Center: Visual Library (Graphics Gallery) - The Life Cycle Of A Retrovirus