They ‘got themselves tested’ for HIV
By Judy Masterson jmasterson@stmedianetwork.com June 28, 2011 12:40AM
Reann Garcia of North Chicago swabs her mouth for HIV testing at the local Lake County Health Department clinic. “I get tested every six months as part of the routine health care,” she said. | Thomas Delany Jr.~Sun-Times Media
About HIV
Illinois has the seventh-highest number of AIDS cases in the nation. Of the 53,380 people diagnosed with HIV through December 2009, 32,923 were also diagnosed with AIDS and:
80 percent were male
50 percent were black
34 percent were white
13 percent were Hispanic
Article Extras
Updated: August 27, 2011 12:38AM
NORTH CHICAGO — It was a beautiful day for an HIV test.
Set up on the lawn of the Lake County Health Department’s North Chicago clinic on 14th Street, just west of Lewis Avenue, the local site for National HIV Testing Day on Monday drew a steady stream of visitors with a picniclike atmosphere: sun, fun, and a fired-up grill.
Priscilla Brown, 50, of North Chicago wore a sticker that declared “I got myself tested” after a simple, self-administered gum swab that yielded results in 20 minutes.
“We need to encourage everyone out there to be tested,” Brown said. “HIV is a worldwide disease, and everybody needs more information on it.”
The Health Department is working to destigmatize HIV testing and make it a routine part of health care.
Brian Bongner, STD/HIV program coordinator for the department, listed three musts for HIV prevention: 1. Know your status/get tested. 2. Communicate with your partner(s). 3. Until you’ve established trust, always use protection.
The sunny, energetic Bongner is one of an estimated 1.3 million Americans living with HIV, and he is living proof that a $36,000 per year cocktail of medications has changed “the face” of HIV/AIDS.
“You have no idea who here today is positive,” said Bongner, who throws out thought-provoking tidbits like, “If your partner’s not monogamous, you’re not monogamous.”
The cocktail regimen not only helps people with HIV live longer, healthier lives, it can also cut the chance of infection because people who adhere to the therapy can have an “undetected viral load,” meaning they are less likely to transmit the disease — even if a condom breaks.
The Health Department chose North Chicago for the testing outreach because the city has a higher rate of HIV infection compared to other communities in Lake County. African-Americans and Hispanics also have proportionately higher rates of infection, Bongner said, noting that low-income young people often have less access to good sex education and spottier role modeling of responsible sexual behavior.
“Mom or dad may have multiple partners,” Bongner said. “They may know how to protect themselves, but the kids don’t know how.”
The department is rolling out free, routine HIV testing at all its clinical sites. It also offers STD Test Express sites that offer testing for the most common types of STDs including gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis and HIV.
Sidney Boclair of Waukegan urged people not to “be afraid to get tested.”
“You have to know your status,” Boclair said. “Living with (the virus) for 25 years is a miracle for me. If you want to live, you can live.”
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