GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Friday is World AIDS Day, and the Kent County Health Department (KCHD) is observing the occasion by offering free HIV testing.
The public is invited to receive free tests at the Health Department’s main clinic from 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
We’re told certified counselors will be on hand to answer questions attendees may have and direct them to services they need.
KCHD says nearly 700,000 people in the country died of AIDS since the start of the AIDS pandemic. While advances in treatment and prevention have been made since then, a cure remains nonexistent.
Citing data by the Centers for Disease Control, the KCHD says around one fifth of those with HIV are unaware they’ve been infected.
“People who don’t know they have HIV have a higher risk of serious medical problems and death,” says Personal Health Services Division Supervisor April Hight. “They can also pass the virus to others.”
Health experts say PrEP treatment is shown to lowers risk of infection by 99%.
Residents are encouraged to wear red ribbons Friday.
