The third annual Love Yourself HIV Testing Event will be take place Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the LGBT Resource Center at 750 Ostrom Ave.

Love Yourself allows people to get an HIV test for free in a safe and private environment, said Lauren Hannahs, a graduate assistant at the LGBT Resource Center.

The event is co-sponsored by the LGBT Resource Center, Office of Off-Campus and Commuter Services, SU Health Services, SU Counseling Center, AIDS Community Resources and New York State Department of Health.

Hannahs said there is still negativity surrounding HIV testing, even after all of these years.

‘I think there is a lot of stigma still around getting testing, or that it’s not necessary,’ she said. ‘I think there is a misconception that HIV isn’t a problem anymore, or that it’s not important to get tested anymore or stay on top of it or practice safe sex.

‘But, in actuality, when you have rising numbers among sections of young people, this demographic is just as important as it ever was,’ she said.

There are 56,300 Americans newly infected with HIV each year, according to a 2006 study conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There are approximately 1.2 million Americans currently living with HIV/AIDS. The CDC estimates that 21 percent of HIV-positive people don’t know they are infected.

Minority populations make up a large amount of people newly infected with the virus. Nearly half of new infections, 49 percent, are among African-Americans, who make up only 13 percent of the U.S. population, according to the 2006 CDC study. Hispanics accounted for 18 percent of new HIV infections, but they make up only about 15 percent of the U.S. population, the study said.

The highest rates of new HIV infections are in young people, including college-aged students, according to the LGBT Resource Center.

Call 315-443-3983 to get a guaranteed time slot. Drop-ins are also welcome, but may require some wait time.

wfmcmill@syr.edu

Published on February 9, 2010 at 12:00 pm