Campaign Promotes HIV Testing for At-Risk Youth

World AIDS Day on Wednesday marks the kickoff of the Los Angeles “HIV. Live With It. Get Tested!” campaign for youth at risk for infection with the virus.

The campaign aims to encourage children and young adults ages 13 to 24--especially those from underserved minority groups--to get free, anonymous HIV testing and counseling at one of dozens of testing sites in the L.A. area.

Early testing is important, medical experts say. Although there is as yet no cure for HIV infection, early and aggressive treatment offers a much better health outlook. The program seeks to identify youth who are infected and connect them with local treatment services.

Targeting adolescents is also important, say representatives of Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, which is running the campaign with local agencies--such as Altamed, Bienestar, the L.A. Free Clinic and Charles R. Drew University Mobile Testing Project--that offer youth-sensitive HIV services.

According to a 1996 White House report, a new person younger than 21 in the U.S. is infected with HIV every hour. Although infection rates are declining among white youth, they’re growing disproportionately among young Latinos and African Americans. In Los Angeles County, according to the county’s Department of Health Services, 17% of the total number of reported AIDS cases in 1997 were among young people from 13 to 29.

To get a free, confidential test, participants may dial (800) 758-0880 and punch in their ZIP Codes to be directed to the nearest testing site. There they can talk to counselors, take HIV tests, learn about ways to lower HIV risk and--if the test is positive--receive referrals for treatment.

The L.A. campaign will run in conjunction with similar efforts in New York, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Baltimore and Miami.