DID YOU KNOW: 1 in 8 people with HIV don’t know it yet? Knowing your HIV status can be life-saving information.Walgreens and Greater Than AIDS partnered to offer FREE HIV testing from June 23rd to June 25th. Beyond knowing your status, there are important facts to know about HIV and AIDS every sexually person should know.

This month, BlackDoctor.org hosted the Know Better: The Truth About HIV & HIV Testing Facebook Chat, sponsored by Walgreens, with expert insight from Keith W. Crawford, PhD, Health Scientist Administrator in the Division of AIDS, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH and Virginia A. Caine, MD, Director, Marion County Health Department.

If you missed this informative chat, take a look at the Q&A on the following pages.

For additional HIV resources and local testing sites, visit the CDC’s site https://gettested.cdc.gov/ and visit http://GreaterThan.org/Walgreens for testing locations near you!

Virginia Caine: HIV is transmitted through bodily fluids from a person that is HIV positive to another individual through blood, semen, pre-seminal fluid, rectal fluids, vaginal fluids and breast milk.

In extremely rare cases, HIV has been transmitted by oral sex.

Keith Crawford: While it may be possible, the risk appears to be low, as stated. The risk is increased if the individual performing sex has cuts or abrasions in their mouth. Saliva produces some compounds that can inactivate HIV and this may help lower the risk.

Virginia Caine: It can also be shared by sharing needles or syringes and less commonly, from mother to child during pregnancy, birth, or breastfeeding.

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