Yesterday Was US National HIV Testing Day

by Alanna Shaikh · 2009-06-28 09:48:00 UTC
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(photo credit: jonrawlinson)

I've been getting tested for HIV on and off since 1996, mostly to get visas for travel to restrictive countries. The first time I got tested, it freaked me out. I was getting tested so I could get an Egyptian visa; I didn't have any risk reason for the test. But I made up a whole (deeply implausible) story about how I could have been infected anyway. Then I pretty much just twitched until I got my test results. The second time, I made up the infection story, but I didn't do any twitching. The third time I only spent about three minutes worrying and then I pretty much forgot about the test until my results came.

The last time I got tested for HIV was four years ago, when I was pregnant with my son. It was part of my doctor's standard package of tests for pregnant women. I didn't see any reason for the test, but I didn't see any reason not to, either. And no, I still didn't have HIV. But I could. We all could.

I have a point here. Getting tested for HIV is hard the first time, but it gets easier. And if you do have HIV, getting tested will save your life.

If you want to get involved with global health, getting tested for HIV is your first step. You are part of global health - not just your advocacy or your donations, but your own health. Global pandemics don't just happen somewhere else. They happen in your city, and in your town. HIV is scarier and more urgent than swine flu. Make sure that you're not part of its spread.

Alanna Shaikh
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