Know your status.

That is the message that public health officials have for everyone — EVERYONE — as National HIV Testing Day approaches on June 27.

The event aims to encourage HIV testing. According to the Florida Department of Health Bureau of Communicable Diseases, more than 1,100 individuals are living with HIV or AIDS in Escambia County.

Estimates are that almost half of new HIV infections come from people spreading the disease who do not know their status. Early diagnosis and treatment saves lives and is known to reduce the spread of HIV. The CDC recommends HIV testing as a part of routine health care.

Dr. John J. Lanza, director of the Escambia County Health Department, says people between the ages of 13 and 64 should be tested for HIV at least once, with those at increased risk tested more frequently.

The Health Department will offer free HIV testing and syphilis screenings at:

locations:

• Nadine McCaw Park in Century on Monday June 23 from 1 to 6 p.m.

• Walgreens at 700 N. Pace Blvd. in Pensacola on Friday June 27 from 3 to 7 p.m.

Multiple free HIV testing sites are available throughout Escambia County.

To find a free test site near you, text your zip code to 477493.

For more information, call (850) 595-6663, ext. 107, visit the Northwest Florida AIDS Consortium website at www.noflacweb.org, or visit the DOH-Escambia website at www.EscambiaHealth.com.

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