HUNTSVILLE, Ala — In honor of 'National HIV Testing Day', Thrive Alabama hosted a ‘Stomp Out HIV’ event at Big Spring Park. The health fair featured local food trucks and live entertainment. Non-profits and other educational organizations set up booths and handed out treats while teaching people about HIV.
“Stomp out HIV is a community gathering to celebrate or honor national HIV testing day, which is tomorrow, Sunday [June] 27," Erin Bortel, Thrive Alabama director of health education, said.
A speaker who said they are HIV positive offered encouraging words to the crowd in efforts to reduce the stigma surrounding the virus.
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“It’s an imperative for all of us to know our status," Warren Dates, the founder of 6:52 said. "This moment that you have before you to access an HIV test could be the most important decision you make in your life.”
One in seven positive people do not know their status. Talking about HIV is one thing, but identifying it is harder than it looks. Most times, the virus is asymptomatic until it progresses to AIDS. We asked people at the fair to describe HIV in ‘plain terms’.
Ryan Felton, the CEO of R&B Vibes said, “I don’t know what it stands for, but I know it’s a sexually transmitted disease.”
The executive director of First Stop, Jennifer Geist said, “HIV, if I’m remembering right is, human immunodeficiency virus, so it is a virus that folks can contract."
"HIV is a communicable disease that’s transmitted through blood to blood contact,” Bortel explained. “It’s usually transmitted through either sexual risk or something related to substance use.
Doctors say symptoms of HIV include chills, night sweats, and fatigue. Getting tested is the best way to know for sure.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone over the age of 13 gets tested for sexually transmitted infections (STI) at least once a year.