DuPage County to Offer Free HIV Testing

The  DuPage County Health Department encourages individuals to know their HIV status and get tested. To make that possible, the health department is offering free HIV testing on Friday, Oct. 14, to bring attention to National Latino AIDS Awareness Day. The free HIV testing will be available from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Health Department’s office at 245 W. Roosevelt Rd., Building 14, in West Chicago.

Spanish speaking HIV counselors will be present to answer questions and conduct the testing.

Early knowledge of HIV status provides access to life-extending treatment
options, according to the county. Locally, individuals may be tested for HIV through a number of options including doctors’ offices, home-test kits and the health department’s sexually-transmitted diseases clinic.

The National Latino AIDS Awareness Day is designed to increase HIV awareness
and offer testing. The national Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that more than 200,000 Hispanics/Latinos have been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. The rate of new infections among Hispanic/Latino men was more than double that of white men. The rate of HIV infection among Hispanic/Latino women was nearly four times that of white women.

In addition, public health leaders are concerned about the number of late testers
among the Hispanic/Latino population. The CDC defines late testers as persons who had their first positive HIV test less than one year before their diagnosis of AIDS.

Factors that may contribute to the late testing trend among the Latino population
include social stigma, lack of access to health care and fear of immigration status.

For information about HIV testing in this area, contact the health department at 630-682-7400. For more information on the DuPage County Health Department, follow the department on Twitter @DuPageHD or become a fan on Facebook.