MOBILE, Alabama -- Free, rapid HIV testing will be available at the Walgreens at the Loop, 2050 Government St., in Mobile on June 27 and June 28 from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m., and June 29, from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m., in support of National HIV Testing Day, health officials said.
The tests will be confidential and provided at no cost. The Mobile County Health Department, along with other groups, have partnered with the Walgreens pharmacy chain and a coalition of public and private sector groups known as Greater Than AIDS to provide the free testing. Other similar events are being held throughout the state during the same time period.
Locally, the Mobile County Health Department, AIDS Alabama South and Franklin Primary Health Center are partnering with the local drug store for the testing initiative in response to the domestic epidemic. In Mobile, there are an estimated 2,876 people living with HIV/AIDS, health records indicate.
“Statistics show that as many as 20 percent of those who have HIV/AIDS are not aware that they have it. That’s about a quarter of a million people who don’t know,” said Dr. Bernard Eichold, Health Officer for the Mobile County Health Department. “We encourage residents to get tested for HIV and know their status.”
State and local health departments and AIDS service organizations are coordinating testing and providing on-site results at participating Walgreens locations, as well as supporting outreach. Research indicates that about a third of those who are infected with HIV/AIDS are diagnosed so late in the course of the illness that they develop AIDS within one year. Early diagnosis and treatment saves lives and is known to reduce the spread of HIV, Eichold said.
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