This upcoming Sunday, September 18th, is National HIV and Aging Awareness Day. To celebrate we are encouraging the 50 + year old folks to get an HIV test and we’re answering common questions you may have.

I thought HIV was a young person’s disease. Why should I get tested?

HIV is an issue for folks 50 years or older.  According to a 2010 white paper by SAGE (Services & Advocacy for Aging Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Elders) entitled “HIV & Aging Policy White Paper” 10-19% of all newly HIV positive/infected individuals are 50 years old or older. That represents a significant portion of the population.

Also, some research has shown that HIV progresses faster in elderly individuals so receiving diagnosis and treatment early is essential to preserving health (SAGE handout entitled “Ten Things Every LGBT Older Adult Should Know About HIV/AIDS). The good news is despite the faster initial progression in aging and elderly folks, it has been shown with treatment viral loads (the amount of HIV virus in the body) can reach very low levels similar to those of younger patients in treatment.

How is HIV transmitted?

Through blood, semen, vaginal fluids and breast milk. You cannot get the disease from a kiss, from sweat or from being coughed on.

What are some behaviors that can increase your risk for HIV?

*Injecting drugs (specifically if you do not always use new/clean needles)
*Having unprotected anal or vaginal sex (aka without a condom, dental dam, etc.)

I don’t inject drugs anymore. Do I still need to get tested?

If you have not gotten tested since you stopped injecting you should get tested. However, some folks with a history of testing continue to get tested years after the last time they used/injected. That is not necessary. Once you have been tested after the window period ends (e.g. 3 months after your last potential exposure to HIV/last time you shot up) and the test indicates you are negative, you are negative. However, if you have engaged in unprotected sex since then or if you shoot up again, you need to get retested.

I’m a lesbian and have never injected drugs; I thought I was not at risk of getting HIV.

If at some point in your life had anal or vaginal sex with a male partner and have not been tested since, then you should be tested. While we at www.everybodysgood.com believe in the importance of recognizing people’s identities, it is also important to recognize that even if a behavior isn’t on point with our identity (e.g. having sex with men), if it puts you at risk, you should get tested. Also, according to the same white paper above, despite the CDC’s fact sheet on HIV that states “To date, there are no confirmed cases of female-to-female sexual transmission of HIV in the United States database,” women who have sex with women are still exposing themselves to HIV because 7,381 HIV+ women have officially admitted to having sex with women, and more than 60% of the 246,461 cases of HIV+ women are missing information on whether they had sex with women (again this came from the same SAGE white paper).

Where can I get tested?

AIDS Care offers free, rapid and confidential HIV testing. If you are a gay or bisexual man we can also offer you STD testing (see the front page of the blog; you may need to click the orange arrow on the right side of our front page to get to it).

Also, after 2010 it is mandatory that health care providers (e.g. primary care doctors, emergency room doctors, etc.) offer you an HIV test, so you should be able to get one through your doctor.