PASADENA, Calif.–HIV testing will be administered by the Pasadena Department of Health in Parking Lot B of the Rose Bowl from noon-4 p.m. Sunday.
The testing consists of swabbing the inner cheek. Results are given about 20 minutes later.
Counselors will interpret the results and give details on how to stay HIV negative.
HIV Testing Day at the Rose Bowl will also include hot dogs provided by the Pasadena Firefighters Association and HIV and AIDS education materials and resource tables.
More than 1 million people are living with HIV in the United States and 21 percent of people with HIV is unaware of their infection, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Experts consider HIV testing important because it identifies those who are infected, leads to their getting treatment, changing their behaviors and preventing further transmission of HIV.
“Early detection and education are the keys to keeping everyone safe from infection,” said Assemblyman Anthony Portantino, D-La Canada Flintridge, who will take an HIV test at HIV Testing Day at the Rose Bowl.
The testing comes on the eve of National HIV Testing Day. The CDC recommends that everyone between the ages of 13 and 64 be tested once for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Gay or bisexual men or people who inject drugs should get an HIV test at least once a year, according to CDC guidelines.
Sites where HIV testing is conducted can be found online at HIVtest.org.
