Get Tested!

An HIV testing event on campus highlighted the need to know your statusby Alex Aleman.Did you know that one in five people living with HIV/AIDS don't know they have it? Or that young people under 25 make up half of all new diagnoses for sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV?Experts highlighted statistics like these and urged students to know their HIV status at a recent free AIDS testing event in the Hoffman Atrium. Because of the stigma surrounding the disease, many of those at risk of becoming infected are too afraid to get tested. CCNY’s Wellness and Counseling Center organizes these 2-hour events several times each semester for the campus community to break this stigma and keep CCNY students healthy.The recent testing session attracted many students but not all for the same reasons.“I just came to support my friends,” says Norah Wanda, 19-year-old MCA major.  “Some people get really scared when the possibility of having an STD comes up, so I’m getting tested so my friends don’t have to go through this scary process alone.”Others get tested to stay on top of their health. “I always practice safe sex,” says Emilio Tavarez, a 20-year-old psychology major. “But no mater how safe you are, you’re always at risk.  I’d rather get tested and find out if I have anything now, than wait 10 years and start to show symptoms.”Klade M. Wilson, medical assistant from the CCNY Wellness and Counseling Center, likes this kind of attitude. She worries that too many young people avoid testing for fear of getting a positive result. “Teenagers and young adults are usually too afraid to get tested for HIV and other STDs, so they rarely take the trip to the hospital," Wilson explains. "By providing free testing on campus, students are more willing to stop and get checked out, especially when they see their peers doing the same.”The Center works closely with the Harlem Hospital Renaissance Health Care Network Diagnostic and Treatment Center, a community organization, to provide testing. And you don't have to give blood to get tested; it's done with a mouth swab. For more information, and to find out how to get an HIV test, visit the Center's website.