Black people make up 13 percent of the country's population but almost 50 percent of HIV/AIDS diagnoses in the U.S., according to the National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness day Web site.
In honor of this day, free and anonymous HIV tests will be given today at Ball State University for its third annual observation of NBHAAD.
From 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. today in the L.A. Pittenger Student Center, a representative from the Delaware County Health Department will administer the HIV tests in Student Center rooms 301 and 302, Lisa Thomason, Ball State health educator, said.
While students wait to get tested, they can look around the HIV and Sexual Health information fair, which is from 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. and is also located in the Student Center, Thomason said.
NBHAAD, which is organized by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, recognizes that the number of those infected by HIV is growing faster in the black population than any other, she said.
"African-Americans are disproportionately affected [by HIV/AIDS]," Katie Baker of Meridian Services Corp. said. "They are disproportionately positive."
Baker said young adults, college students in particular, are the fastest growing demographic testing HIV positive.
Meridian Services, the Indiana Family Health Center and the health department are Ball State's community partners for the NBHAAD events this year.
If someone were to test positive for HIV, talking to Meridian Services about the disease and treatment options would be the next step, Baker said.
"We'll have our booth [at the information fair] with information, condoms and safer sex materials," she said. "We'd be happy to talk to [students] about HIV and different methods of treatment and what we can do to help those who are HIV positive through our program."
Thomason said it is important for Ball State to recognize NBHAAD because it is a way for the university to show its commitment to the community and encourage people to get tested.
"Sometimes people are scared [to get tested]," she said. "They think ignorance is bliss."
So many medical advances have been made that finding out you are HIV positive early on can improve life quality, so there is no need to be afraid to hear that diagnosis, she said.
Ball State is the only college campus in Indiana that observes NBHAAD, Thomason said.
The HIV test takes a small amount of blood with a small needle, she said, and each person is assigned a number and given the test in a private room for confidentiality purposes. Students do not have to give their names if they do not want to, Thomason said.
She said she measures the success of the event by the number of people tested. About 40 students were tested last year and Thomason said she hopes to see an increase this year.
"I hope that doing this event this year reduces the stigma people feel regarding HIV testing," she said.
She said she hopes students will take responsibility for their personal health and learn how to protect themselves and their partners.
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