Jun 27, 2009 8:14 pm US/Eastern
Md. Doctor Who Discovered HIV Encourages Testing
Reporting
Adam May
MARYLAND (WJZ) ―
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HIV testing is readily available. Today's oral HIV tests produce results in 20 minutes or less. Those tests are available for free in clinics around Maryland.
CBS
Very few sexually active teens in the U.S. are getting tested for HIV.
A new report shows that less than a quarter of sexually active high school students are getting tested for that virus, and nearly half of the teens who are HIV positive don't even know they're infected.
Saturday is national HIV Testing Day, and
Eyewitness News spoke to an expert about the lack of testing.
A big anniversary in the fight against HIV and AIDS.
It's been 25 years since the first HIV blood test was developed.
Adam May reports one of the top researchers in the field, who works here in Maryland, shares his ongoing concerns on National Testing Day.
HIV testing started in 1984, and now, people are wondering if they have it can thank a Marylander for the answer.
"I co-discovered the virus, my colleges and I, and we showed it was the cause of aids," Dr. Robert Gallo with the Institute of Virology at the University of Md. School of Maryland said.
"People are often not detected early enough, and if we tested more widely, this would be boom to the individual health and public health," Dr. Gallo said.
"It was very scary, it felt like the walk of death," Judith Shaw McKnight said. She tested positive back in 1992 and now urges others to test too.
"You can live with
this virus, and you can live well, but you have to want to live well, and that means being compliant with taking your meds," Shaw McKnight said.
More than 30 million people around the world live with HIV, but untreated. It claims millions of lives a year, including thousands in the US.
"I think we need much more attention to the major cities in the United States," Dr. Gallo said. "The president's emergency program policy for AIDS relief is a lot of money for Africa and for some other nations, that's wonderful, maybe we could have a portion and use some of it for the cities in our own nation," Dr. Gallo said.
HIV testing is readily available. Today's oral HIV tests produce results in 20 minutes or less. Those tests are available for free in clinics around Maryland.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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