Guest Editorial
Twenty Minutes Can Save Your Life
Howard Grossman, M.D.

National HIV Testing Day, which took place on June 27, represented an important opportunity to remind everyone that HIV is not going away.  But it was also a timely reminder of the very real benefits of knowing your HIV status.

Experts believe that about a quarter of a million people with HIV in this country don’t know they are infected.   That staggering number poses a real threat both to those individuals and to the health of our nation. Testing is an important tool to help control the spread of HIV. People who know their HIV status can take the appropriate steps to protect their health and the health of their partners. Unfortunately, the opposite is also true.

Many people who test positive said they never thought they could be at risk for contracting HIV. But let’s face the facts – HIV does not discriminate. Married people get it. Women and young people are getting it increasingly. Straight, gay, black, white – it doesn’t matter – if you’re having sex or using needles; you can get HIV.

Could you be one of these people? You just don’t know until you test.  So why not schedule the 20 minutes that the new rapid test requires, and get the HIV test over with? One of two things can happen:

1. You can find out you’re negative. Great news. But it doesn’t stop there. You can also learn the latest on how to stay HIV-negative and go on with your life, knowing you’re doing everything you can do to keep yourself and your loved ones safe from HIV.

2. You can find out that you’re positive. If so, taking the test will be one of the most important things you’ve ever done, and the first step to managing your HIV infection. Taking the rapid test also means that a health care provider or advocate will be there to help you deal with the results, answer your questions and help you find care right away. If you have HIV, getting into treatment early can be key to maintaining your health. Starting therapy when you’re already sick may mean the drugs will not work as well.

HIV is still a serious infection. But most people with HIV today are keeping their infection under control and getting on with every aspect of their lives. New medicines are easier to take and live with. Many people can treat their HIV with just two pills a day, and a single-pill treatment for HIV may be available in the near future.

An added benefit of knowing your HIV status is that you can learn how to protect your partners, which is key to stopping this epidemic in its tracks.

HIV/AIDS has become a disease of all Americans, and all of us need to pay attention. Consider these startling facts:

• Half of all new HIV infections in the United States are among people under the age of 25.
• Men who have sex with men account for 44 percent of U.S. HIV diagnoses. Many of these men are outside the mainstream of the gay community and are not aware of their risk.
• Although African Americans are only twelve percent of the population, they account for more than half of new HIV infections in the U.S. each year.
• Today, HIV has a major impact on women; they represent nearly 30 percent of those diagnosed with HIV each year.
• Although Latinos represent about 14 percent of the U.S. population, they account for 20 percent of the new HIV cases reported in 2003.

Still think it couldn’t happen to you? The fact is, if you’ve ever had sex, you are at some risk for HIV. And with HIV care and treatment improving, there are more reasons every day to know your status.

To get more information, or just talk it over confidentially, contact CDC-INFO 24 hours a day at 1-800-CDC-INFO (232-4636), 1-888-232-6348 (TTY) or visit the National HIV Testing Resources web site at http://www.hivtest.org .

Howard Grossman, M.D., is Executive Director of the American Academy of HIV Medicine.