National HIV Testing Day is June 27th

Organizers urge people to "Take the Test" and "Take Control"

This agency in Salem works with people suffering from HIV and AIDS and their families lifelineaids.org

(SALEM) - To commemorate National HIV Testing Day and the 25th Anniversary of HIV/AIDS, the Marion County Health Department will offer free anonymous or confidential HIV testing on Tuesday, June 27th, from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM and Friday, June 30th, from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the Health Department at 3180 Center St. NE. Hepatitis A and B vaccines will also be available for those who qualify.

Twenty-five years ago the first cases of what was later called Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) were reported in Los Angeles and New York. Today, United Nations AIDS (UNAIDS) estimates that more than 40 million people worldwide are infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that more than one million people in the U.S. have HIV, with another 40,000 being infected every year. A quarter of those who are infected do not know it.

In Oregon, an estimated 5,000 people are infected with HIV. According to Oregon Department of Human Services, Health Services Surveillance Reports, 344 AIDS cases were reported in Marion County between 1981 and May 31st, 2006, with 143 deaths. Since Oct. 1st, 2001, 91 cases of HIV infection were reported in Marion County.

Anyone who is at risk for HIV or has had unprotected sex with a person at risk should consider getting tested for HIV. A person at risk for HIV could be anyone who has shared needles, a man who has had sex with a man, a person who has traded sex for money, drugs or survival, a person who has had a sexually transmitted infection, or a person who has had multiple sex partners.

Testing will be done by a blood draw or a mouth swab. Call 503-588-5342 for an appointment or just walk in. People without an appointment will be seen on a "first come, first served" basis.

The National HIV Testing Day campaign is coordinated by the National Association of People with AIDS. For more information, contact Karen Helikson at the Marion County Health Department, (503)361-2659.