World AIDS Day 2018
In recognition of World AIDS Day on December 1, 2018 Student Health Promotion encourages all Georgia State University students to get tested for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS. According to the data from Georgia State University’s 2016 administration of the of the American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment, only 41% of students report ever being tested for HIV. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends every person between the ages of 13 and 64 get tested at least once; some people may need to get tested more often. It is estimated that about half of people between 13 and 24 years of age are unaware of their HIV status and may be unknowingly transmitting the virus to other people.
HIV is passed from one person to another by:
- Having unprotected sex with a person who has HIV
- Sharing needles with someone who has HIV
- Breastfeeding, pregnancy, or childbirth if the mother has HIV
- Getting a transfusion of blood that’s infected with HIV (very rare in the United States)
To find an HIV testing location, text your zip code to KNOWIT (566948) or use this online locator.
Student Health Promotion collaborates with the Fulton County Board of Health, the DeKalb County Board of Health, the Gwinnett, Newton, Rockdale Health Departments, and the Georgia Department of Public Health to offer free and confidential rapid HIV testing along with chlamydia, gonorrhea, and trichomoniasis screenings. The health departments also provide safer sex supplies (i.e., internal & external condoms and lubricant), accessible to students by walk-in to the Student Health Promotion offices (i.e., Atlanta, Dunwoody, and Clarkston) or the Student Health Clinic, and during outreach events.
The HIV/STI testing service is available on the Atlanta campus, Monday through Thursday during office hours, by calling 404-413-1577 to schedule an appointment.
For information about Student Health Promotion services, follow us on our social media @BeWellGSU on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Follow #WeGotYouCoveredGSU to learn more about safer sex supplies and HIV/STI testing services on all campuses.
