US National HIV Testing Day on 27th June 2004

May 3 2004

WHAT:	National HIV Testing Day, sponsored by the National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA-US) with support from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is Sunday, June 27. Local health departments and HIV prevention organizations across the country will host hundreds of community events to encourage people to seek counseling and testing for HIV. Underscoring the critical role that testing plays in HIV prevention and treatment, this year’s theme is “It’s Better to Know.”
WHY:	CDC estimates that 180,000 to 280,000 people nationwide are HIV-positive but don’t know it. HIV counseling and testing enables people with HIV to take steps to protect their own health and that of their partners and helps people who test negative get the information they need to stay uninfected.
WHO:	Interviews about the U.S. HIV epidemic and the importance of voluntary HIV counseling and testing are available with Terje Anderson (say “Terry”), Executive Director of NAPWA, and David Munar, Associate Director for Policy and Communications at the AIDS Foundation of Chicago. Both are people living with HIV, who can address the importance of knowing your HIV status. Sample radio and television PSAs, fact sheets, spokesperson bios, and other information on National HIV Testing Day are available at www.HIVtest.org.