The HIV Test: What You Know Can Help You

PAHO member countries are spreading the message that knowing one's HIV status is the first step in prevention, treatment, and care.

Countries throughout the Americas are launching public outreach efforts today urging their citizens to get tested for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) as the first step in prevention, treatment, and care for HIV and AIDS.

The campaign - part of ongoing efforts to promote HIV testing and counseling among the public - is being launched today in observance of HIV Test Awareness Day, June 27. Started in the United States in 1994 by the National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA), HIV Test Awareness Day is now observed by countries around the world.

Not knowing one's HIV status is among the main factors in the spread of the AIDS epidemic. In Latin America, an estimated 1.7 million people carry the virus, but more than two-thirds are unaware of it. Those who don't know they carry the virus do not know that they may need life-saving drugs. Worse, they may inadvertently transmit the virus to others.

In contrast, people who get tested and learn they are HIV-positive can seek treatment to control the virus's progression. Those who learn they are HIV-negative have extra motivation to protect their HIV-free status.

Testing for HIV has become more widely available and less costly in Latin America and the Caribbean in recent years, and growing numbers of people are taking advantage of the test. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) estimates that more than 700,000 people in the region were tested in 2005 and more than 1 million in 2006. The numbers are expected to be even higher this year.

Among the reasons behind the growing numbers is the increasing availability of antiretroviral treatment, which allows people with HIV to lead long and healthy lives, as well as the diminished stigma against people living with the virus. Public health officials are also trying to spread the message that more people need to get tested in order to control and eventually halt the epidemic.

Until recently, many countries struggled just to make HIV testing widely available in their health centers. Countries that have achieved that goal - including Brazil, El Salvador, Mexico, and others - are now trying to boost demand for the tests.

To do so, they are mounting "Know Your Status" campaigns, which try to motivate men and women, especially the young, to get tested for HIV. The campaigns also tackle such obstacles as difficult access to health services, lack of confidence in the health care system, and fear of discrimination in the workplace or among family and friends.