Testing & Treatment: The Keys to Keeping You and Your Partner Healthy

Coinciding almost perfectly with this year’s HIV Testing Day on June 27 is an interesting breakthrough in HIV research. Researchers recently found that treating HIV early—before the virus has damaged the immune system and while a person’s immune system is still healthy—can keep someone who is HIV positive healthier and help prevent transmitting the virus to an uninfected partner.

But to benefit from early treatment, you have to know if you have the virus. It is estimated that one in five people living with HIV are unaware that they are infected, which means that they can’t begin the treatment they need to stay healthy. So if you are sexually active, remember that it is crucial to get tested. And HIV Testing Day is a perfect day to do so.

Find a health center that does HIV testing near you.

—Taylor McCabe, 18, Contributor