A day to get the facts, get tested and get involved!

According to the CDC, around 1.2 million people in the United States are living with HIV and one in eight people don't know they have it. Nearly 45,000 people find out they have HIV every year.

HIV testing is the gateway to prevention and care. People who test negative have more prevention tools available today than ever before. In addition to abstinence, limiting your number of sexual partners, never sharing needles and using condoms the right way every time you have sex, you may be able to take advantage of newer medicines such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).

If you are living with HIV, there are many actions you can take to prevent passing it to others. The most important is taking medicines to treat HIV (called antiretroviral therapy, or ART) the right way, every day. They can keep you healthy for many years and greatly reduce your chance of transmitting HIV to your partners.

More than 90 percent of new HIV infections in the United States could be prevented by testing and diagnosing people living with HIV and making sure they receive early, ongoing treatment.

Get the facts – learn about HIV and share this lifesaving information with your family, friends and community. Tell them about the importance of making HIV testing a part of their regular health routine.

Get tested - knowing your HIV status gives you powerful information to help keep you and your partner healthy.

CDC recommends that everyone between the ages of 13 and 64 get tested for HIV at least once as part of routine health care. People with certain risk factors should get tested more often. Learn what those risk factors are and how often you should be tested.

To find a testing site near you:

In Oklahoma, text 898-211

text your ZIP code to KNOWIT (566948), or

call 1-800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636).

You can also use a home testing kit available in drugstores or online.

Get involved - CDC offers many resources to help you raise awareness about HIV testing in your community. Doing it is a new national HIV testing and prevention campaign designed to motivate all adults to get tested for HIV and know their status. Join Doing It on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

She's doing it. He's doing it. They're doing it. You can do it too!

Find more information about HIV testing and who should be tested at CDC.gov/hiv.
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Copyright 2017 The Gayly - 6/27/2017 @ 7:51 p.m. CDT