| HeraldNet - Snohomish County's online news source |
 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2010 1:05 am |
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Local News 
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Snohomish Health District offers free HIV tests The Snohomish Health District is offering free HIV tests at four Everett-area events.The first will be from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. tonight at the Twisted nightclub in Everett. The tests also will be available at three locations on Tuesday: the Snohomish Health District, the Community Health Center of Snohomish County and at an event at Cascade High School. The free tests are part of a national effort to provide free HIV testing to people at risk of getting the infection. Nearly one-quarter of people who have been infected don't know they have the disease, said Brenda Newell, a program manager for the Snohomish Health District. Anyone who is sexually active or who has ever injected street drugs can receive a free HIV test during the events, she said. "Our hope is that someone who has never considered getting an HIV test will take advantage of this opportunity and seek out testing," she said. All it takes is a drop of blood for the tests to be conducted, she said. Test results are ready in 20 minutes. If the test comes back positive, additional tests are conducted to confirm the results. Early detection of HIV can help prevent it from progressing to AIDS, she said. In Snohomish County, up to 40 new cases of HIV are diagnosed each year. Most of the new cases are people in their 30s and 40s, Newell said. However, the Snohomish Health District is seeing more of a trend of people in their 20s testing positive for HIV, she said. Some people have become complacent about the risks of the virus, she said. They don't think of HIV or AIDS as a serious disease, because of drugs that have been developed to combat the virus. "I think there's a lack of awareness of the side effects of the medications and how that can impact someone's life," she said. Side effects can include liver damage and increased levels of fat in the blood, according to the federal department of Health and Human Services. "This is a disease that's absolutely preventable," Newell said, "and one we'd encourage people to take steps to prevent." Reporter Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486 or salyer@heraldnet.com Free HIV tests Today 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., Twisted nightclub, 1212 California St., Everett Tuesday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Snohomish County Homeless Project Connect, Cascade High School, 801 E. Casino Road, Everett 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Community Health Center of Snohomish County, 1410 Broadway, Everett 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Snohomish Health District's sexually transmitted disease clinic, 3020 Rucker Ave., Room 106, Everett Call 425-339-5298 for more information on any of these events. By the numbers: n Snohomish County averages 30 to 40 new HIV cases each year. n 82 percent of the cases are male. n More than 60 percent of the women diagnosed with HIV acquired the virus through heterosexual sex. n 23 percent of the newly diagnosed cases are in people under 30. Source: Snohomish Health District |
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