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National HIV testing day brings attention back to AIDS epidemic

One local organization wants to get the word out about testing and prevention.
Credit: 10 Tampa Bay

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Sunday is National HIV testing day. In 1981, the first cases of what would become known as AIDS were reported in the US.

Today more than 1.2 million people in this country are living with HIV, with more than 35 thousand new infections each year.  Florida leads the nation in new cases, according to the CDC. Some experts say that's why testing day is so important.

"It takes the stigma away from it because it's the one day for the month of June that it's in the news. If you think of HIV in the news, it's not there so much anymore," said Joy Winheim, Executive Director of EPIC, a Tampa Bay organization helping HIV patients for more than 30 years. 

She says an HIV diagnosis is no longer a death sentence, but she thinks that's why there continues to be new cases. 

"We have made incredible advances in medicine. We've gone from 15 pills a day to one pill a day. It's a very manageable disease and I think people are taking that as it's not so scary anymore."

Michael Tollar was diagnosed with HIV in the mid-80s. It was especially tough in the early years. "Friends were dropping like flies. We had memorial services every week. You just got really tired of releasing the balloons and you know... finally I just closed up and I didn't cry anymore."

Thanks to all the medical advances, Tollar has his HIV under control now, but says people should be tested more often. "Oh they definitely should. Back in the 80s, there wasn't anything. We were lambs being led to slaughter."

Winheim says there is one thing people should know about HIV and AIDS. "It's 100 percent preventable. All you have to do is have safe sex, get on PREP if you continue high-risk behaviors. Really the message for us is, we don't care what you do out there, we just want you to do it safely."

The Florida Department of Health is working to reduce and eliminate new HIV infections and deaths with a plan covering 4 components. 

1. Implement routine testing 

2. Provide rapid access to treatment and ensure retention in care 

3. Improve access to PrEP and nPEP 

4. Increase HIV awareness and community response 

Read more about that plan here.

And if you're looking to get tested for HIV locally, we have a list of locations here.

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