LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
Langley Public Health officials are encouraging Airmen, retirees and family members to get tested for Human Immunodeficiency Virus, or HIV, during their next medical visit due to a rise in newly diagnosed HIV patients.
Historically, Langley has reported an average of one to two HIV cases a year; however, in 2007, public health has diagnosed seven cases to date, according to Capt. Pamela Currin, 1st Aerospace Medicine Squadron Public Health Office.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Virginia ranks 10th in the United States for newly diagnosed cases of HIV, the virus responsible for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, or AIDS. In the United States, there are more than 1 million people currently living with HIV, and the virus will continue to infect 40,000 more every year. About 25 percent of those with HIV have not been diagnosed; meaning about 1 in 1,000 Americans don't even know they're infected.
"An important way to counter the HIV threat is to reduce the number of people who become infected," Captain Currin said. "Prompt identification of HIV-infected individuals allows for earlier treatment and breaks the chain of infection."
HIV is most commonly transmitted through unprotected sex or sharing needles with someone infected with HIV. Anyone involved in such activities is considered to be at high risk for acquiring the disease. Additionally, HIV can be passed from mother to baby before or during birth and through breastfeeding.
Prevention is the key to defeating HIV and AIDS. The CDC recommends remembering the ABCs of HIV prevention:
A - Abstinence
B - Be faithful
C - Condoms
For more information on HIV, call public health at 764-5252 or visit the CDC Web site at: http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/.