KING COUNTY, WA - At the beginning of the third decade of AIDS, local elected and Public Health leaders are calling for individuals to increase their awareness of their HIV status as a means to help people get appropriate care and prevent the further spread of the disease.

"HIV Counseling & Testing Day serves to remind and encourage people to seek testing, especially if they know or think they might be at risk for this very serious disease and public health threat," said King County Executive Ron Sims.

More persons are now living infected with HIV than at any previous time in history. It is estimated that there are 6,000 - 9,000 cases in King County, 800,000 - 900,000 in the United States, and over 36 million worldwide.

"This focus on HIV counseling and testing is important in our community because so many people with HIV are unaware that they are infected," said Dr. Alonzo Plough, Director of Public Health - Seattle & King County. "Based on national estimates, a quarter to a third of persons with HIV infection are still unaware that they are infected. In King County, about 1,500 to 3,000 people are still not aware that they carry the virus."

"Many of the HIV-positive people who are still unaware of their status are likely to have lesser or unknown risks," said Dr. Bob Wood, director of the HIV/AIDS Program for Public Health - Seattle & King County. "This includes women who don't know about their male partners' risks, such as bisexual activity and injection drug use, and heterosexual men who've had multiple sex partners without condom protection."

Why get tested for HIV?

Early knowledge of HIV infection is essential for a number of very important reasons:

• First, there is solid evidence that people who learn of their HIV infection begin taking precautions to protect their partners, which can greatly reduce the further spread of HIV.
• Second, people who learn they have HIV can then take the next steps to determine a proper course of treatment. Many new treatments, although often not easy or pleasant to take, considerably prolong a good and productive life, and are largely responsible for the steep drop in AIDS cases and deaths in the latter half of the 1990s.
• Third, those at advanced stages of infection are at risk of developing a life-threatening pneumonia caused by pneumocystis carinii, an infection that does not infect people with healthy immune systems; but, this very serious disease is preventable, like several other diseases that occur when someone develops AIDS.
• Finally, most people who learn they have HIV feel empowered by this knowledge, which can help them plan for the future, protect their loved ones, and preserve their health.

"Many people put off testing because they are afraid to learn the results. Others avoid testing because they do not want to get their blood drawn or they do not like the anxiety that they feel while waiting for test results," said Wood. "Now the benefits of knowing your HIV status are clear and new testing options are available. If you've been putting off being tested for HIV, now is the time."

Where can people get tested?

HIV testing is easily available throughout King County, including:

• at your own health care provider's office
  
• at a large number of Public Health and HIV/AIDS service sites (contact Public Health's HIV/STD Hotline at 206-205-STDS [7837] for more information and for appointments)
• at local community clinics including the Seattle Gay Clinic (206-461-4540), and through services of People of Color Against AIDS Network (POCAAN) at 206-322-7061. POCAAN will also be offering rapid tests in which results are available shortly after blood is drawn.

In addition, testing for youth is available at varied times at the following agencies: City Doc (206-461-4503), 45th St. Youth Clinic (206-633- 3350), Kent Youth and Family Services (253-859-0300), Lambert House (206-322-2515), Seattle Children's Home's Street Links (206-283-3300), and Youthcare's Orion Center (206-622-5555).

Most sites offer testing confidentially (in which case you provide your real name) or anonymously (which uses only a code, and no name is required). For those who do not like being stuck with a needle, most sites can also provide testing using oral fluids instead of blood. Importantly, many sites offer sliding fee scales that are affordable for everyone, including people who do not have health insurance or an income.

As an alternative to getting tested at a clinic, many pharmacies sell home test kits. Individuals prick their fingers for a sample of their own blood, and send the sample to a central office for testing using an anonymous code. The results and referrals for individuals testing positive are given by phone.

For more information on HIV testing options, please visit the Public Health HIV/AIDS Program webpages at www.metrokc.gov/health/apu