Wednesday was National HIV Testing Day and although there was an increase in test requests for the year, there were no big changes on the special day.

The Madison County Health Department administered three tests for the human immunodeficiency virus Wednesday, but Christie Green, senior administrative assistant for the department, said it was nothing out of the ordinary.

However, on Tuesday and Thursday the numbers tend to be higher, Green said.

The health department listed six HIV tests on the schedule for Tuesday, but the actual number given could be more.

Although six out of the 35 people scheduled yesterday for family planning were scheduled for the test, Green said, a “considerable” amount of the other patients decide during the course of examination to be tested for HIV.

HIV was identified in the United States in 1981 and 150,000 people were infected each year until 1990 when the rate dropped to 40,000. HIV is a unique virus that attacks the immune system and causes Auto-Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) by destroying the white blood cells needed to fight disease. The final stage of HIV is AIDS.

National HIV Testing Day (NHTD) is celebrating its 13th year under the National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA).

The campaign was created “to encourage at-risk individuals to receive voluntary HIV counseling and testing,” according to NAPWA’s Web site. Established in 1983, NAPWA, a non-profit membership organization, has pushed for this program in hopes for a change in statistics. As part of NHTD, community-based HIV/AIDS service providers hold health fairs, special test-related events, extend operating hours or provide community and media outreach.

While HIV tests were available Wednesday, the Madison County Health Department did not plan any special observance of the day.

“We have not participated and it’s not been a matter of a refusal to participate, we just haven’t paid a lot of attention to national outreach days related to HIV and AIDS,” Green said. “We’re seeing somewhat of an increase in requests for these testing services so it’s something that we’re starting to get on our radar that maybe we need to pay a different kind of attention to it.”

In September 2006, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported one out of four people who are HIV positive do not know their status. Therefore, this group is responsible for about 54 percent of all new HIV infections. Education is one way to decrease the rates. When people become aware of their status, they substantially reduce their involvement in high-risk sexual behavior, the CDC reported.

There are 19 places within a 35 mile radius of Richmond where the HIV test is given. However, 13 percent of Kentuckians do not have health insurance, according to the census bureau’s last report in 2004 to 2005.

In situations where cost is a problem or when insurance does not cover the test, patients are referred to agencies or health departments where the test can be administered for free.

Kentucky cities such as Henderson, Lexington, Owensboro and Paducah offered free testing in observance of the day.

The Bluegrass Farm Workers Clinic in Lexington has offered the service every Wednesday this month.

The Madison County Health Department usually offers the HIV test in addition to a test for sexually transmitted diseases, said Christie Green. The HIV test is always free.

“Over the past year we have seen a significant increase in the number of people seeking HIV and STD testing,” Green said. “Sometimes people are concerned about being able to pay. One of our policies here at the health department is that we never turn people away regardless of their ability to pay.”

If a patient has a portion of the payment at the time the test is given, Green said, the rest can be paid at a later date.

People who have an increased risk of HIV infection, such as black and Latino populations, should be more alert about testing procedures. Youth, the poor, women and the “disenfranchised” have also been added to the list.

Anyone who is concerned about whether they have HIV, Green said, it is important for them to request a test.

Test results are confirmed within two to three weeks of administration.

When the health department receives a positive test for HIV the patient is referred to an branch in Lexington that has an outreach specialist for further treatment, Green said.

For more information about NHTD contact the HIV/AIDS branch of the Kentucky Department for Public Health at (502)564-6539

Meth use increase the risk of HIV

Four main ways of transmitting HIV are through the exposure to it before or during birth, through breast feeding, having sex with an infected partner or sharing needles and syringes.

Public health officials are concerned with the increased use of methamphetamine, which also could cause a rise in HIV infections in some populations, according to the CDC.

Meth impairs judgment causing some users to forget to take their prescribed medications. The drug also has a tendency to cause an increase in sexual behavior. The drug can be smoked, snorted, swallowed, inserted into the anus or injected.

Twelve million people who are at least 12 years old had used meth one or more times in their life, 1.4 million during the past year and 600,000 during the past month, according to the CDC.

In an exchange involving sex for money or drugs, the seller often ends up having sex with an injection drug user. Meth can dry mucosa, which leads to more chafing and abrasions, which provide an opening for HIV to be transmitted.

The number of meth lab seizures in almost every state from 2000 to 2005 has increased.

There have been numerous methamphetamine-related arrests in Madison County in recent months.

Havanna Hagans can be reached at news@richmondregister.com or at 623-1669.