National HIV Testing Day
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 24, 2015
Contact
Candi Crause Director of Infectious Disease Prevention & Management
(217) 531-5372 /
Amy Roberts, Public Relations
(217) 531-4264 /
National HIV Testing Day
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Encourages Citizens to “Take the Test, Take Control”
Champaign, IL – National HIV Testing Day is this Saturday, June 27, 2015 and the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) encourages everyone to get tested.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are more than 1.2 million people in the United States that are living with HIV with 50,000 new HIV infections each year in the United States. Almost one in seven people are unaware of their infection. Over half of young people between the ages of 13-24 living with HIV are unaware of their infection. On average, 1,800 people are diagnosed with HIV in Illinois each year.
CUPHD provides testing services Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM at 201 W. Kenyon Road and at 30 E. Green Street on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 3:30 to 6:30 PM in Champaign. CUPHD offers testing to anyone who is 12 years of age or older and recommends testing for:
- Men who have unprotected sex with other men
- Anyone who injects drugs and shares needles
- Anyone who has unprotected sex with an injection drug user
- Anyone who has a sexually transmitted disease
- Anyone who exchanges sex for money or drugs
CUPHD is also offering a new prevention option, PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis). PrEP is for people who are HIV negative, but who are at risk HIV infection. According to the CDC, PrEP has been shown to reduce the risk of HIV infection in people by up to 92 percent.
For more information, contact the Infectious Disease division at 217-531-5365.
###