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Facilities throughout Virginia are offering free or discounted HIV testing on Friday in observance of National HIV Testing Day.
The Virginia Department of Health says the state ranked tenth in 2005 for the most annually reported cases of human immunodeficiency virus in the U.S. HIV is the virus that attacks the immune system and causes AIDS. It can be transmitted sexually and through blood.
Regions throughout Virginia are offering the OraQuick test.
The test requires a tissue swab of the mouth and takes 20 minutes to give results. If the test is negative, the patient does not need to follow up with a blood test. Patients testing positive will need to confirm the results with a blood test because false-positives can occur.
Those looking for more information about testing call the health department at 800-533-4148, or visit their Web site at http://www.vdh.state.va.us.
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