FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                Connecticut Department of Public Health

December 11, 2007                                  Contact William Gerrish

                                                                 (860) 509-7270

Radio and Television Campaign Emphasizes HIV Testing Awareness

Hartford – The Department of Public Health (DPH) is announcing a campaign to increase awareness among Connecticut residents about the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and HIV testing.  The campaign, featuring 30-second radio and television spots, began December 10, 2007 and will continue to run through the first week of January 2008.

The main objective of the campaign is to increase HIV testing awareness in prelude to a new health initiative to incorporate HIV testing as a routine occurrence in the clinical setting.  Funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this new health initiative will focus on increasing HIV testing opportunities among populations disproportionately affected by HIV in Connecticut, primarily African Americans.

“HIV continues to be a major health concern in Connecticut and around the world,” stated DPH Commissioner J. Robert Galvin, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A.  “It is important that people are tested regularly for HIV to prevent the spread of the disease and to get them the medical attention and emotional support that they need if they are HIV-positive.”

Approximately 40,000 people in the United States become infected with HIV each year. People of color, particularly African Americans and Latinos, are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS and have some of the highest infection rates. Gay and bisexual men, injection drug users and women represent other populations at greatest risk of infection.

For additional information on HIV, please go online and visit: the Connecticut Department of Public Health website at www.ct.gov/dph or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at www.cdc.gov. 

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