Health officials urging Hoosiers to get tested on National HIV Testing Day

An estimated 1.1 million people in the U.S. are living with HIV, and 1 in 7 of them don’t even know it. Indiana health officials are urging Hoosiers to get tested as part of National HIV Testing Day.

Preliminary numbers show 413 Indiana residents were diagnosed with HIV in 2016.

State health officials want to encourage you to get tested at least once a year.

Indiana Health Commissioner Jerome Adams says testing is especially important for those who use intravenous drugs or engage in high risk behaviors.

He also says people who know they have the virus can take steps to stop the spread of it, like taking proper medication.

Nearly 80% of newly diagnosed individuals in 2016 were men. More than 12 thousand Hoosiers were living with HIV or AIDS at the end of 2016.

HIV can be detected through testing of oral fluids and blood. There is no known cure for HIV, but it can successfully be managed as a chronic disease with proper medical care.

Here are some testing locations in Michiana:

Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky, 3005 Grape Road, Mishawaka

Elkhart County Health Department, 608 Oakland Avenue, Elkhart

AIDS Ministries, 201 S. William Street, South Bend

Warsaw Family Health Center, 2307 E. Center Street, Warsaw

LaPorte County Health Department, 809 State Street, Suite 401A, LaPorte

Berrien County Health Department, 2149 E. Napier Street, Benton Harbor

Health care providers, local health departments and other entities can provide testing. To find a testing site near you and to learn more about HIV testing day, click HERE.  www.hiv.gov