Should You Get Tested For HIV? Why The Answer is “Yes”

Take your average party for instance: once all the hoopla dies down there’s still a lot of work to do. There’s collecting the empties, emptying the ashtrays and screwing the lampshades back in place. In other words, once all the action disappears, you’ve still got a bunch of important work to do. It’s the same for certain STDs, HIV and AIDS specifically. Twenty or so years ago you couldn’t read a newspaper or watch the TV without being bombarded with information on this terrible disease. Yet as with all things, the hoopla died down. The party, as you may say, ended… and all that hard work began. The first thing one can do to combat this problem is to get tested for HIV.

Get tested for HIV. It doesn’t sound like much, but the significance cannot be underestimated. Anyone who engages in sexual activity should get tested for HIV—and many other sexually transmitted diseases—on a regular basis. One does not have to be a “dirty” person, engaging in all sorts of debauchery, to wind up infected with an STD. The longer one has sex—even so-called “protected” sex—the higher the odds are that they will become infected with something. It’s just basic mathematics, is all. Eventually even the best dice shooter craps out.

HIV and AIDS were once believed to be automatic death sentences for anyone unlucky enough to become infected. Just because HIV showed its ugly head in the gay community first, meant that many people believed it was merely a gay disease and that straight people, heterosexual couples, need not worry about such a thing. This was quickly proven to be false, but still—to this very day—some simpletons still consider HIV a gay disease. The facts are that anyone can catch the HIV virus via sexual contact and/or blood transmission. According to the World Health Organization research taken from STD centers around the world over sixteen thousand people become infected with the HIV virus every single day of the year. It would be a ridiculous notion to suggest that all of these people are homosexual. It just isn’t true. If you are currently engaging in sexual activity, you can become one of these sixteen thousand people. First things first: get tested to make sure you are not already one of these people.

We need to look at the HIV issue from a worldwide position. In countries such as India, and areas such as Africa and Asia, HIV has always been a heterosexual problem. In these areas no one believes that infection rates are influenced by sexual preference. The entire societies of these geographical regions are allied in their fight against infection. Unfortunately, due to many reasons—poverty and lack of general healthcare in many locales—getting tested is not an option for many individuals. In America, we can get STD clinic and yet many of us forgo this option for a variety of reasons.

Many of us go about our daily lives like ostriches—with our heads stuck deep into the ground. We need to shake the dirt off our noggins and appreciate the powerful protection that being tested can afford us. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention it is approximated that almost a third of those infected with HIV are completely clueless of their status! In a country such as the United States, testing means the beginning of treatment for those found to be infected. Think of the ramifications of this! Whereas before being tested this individual went about his life, including sexual activity—unaware he was potentially infecting others. After being tested, this same individual now has a moral dilemma to accompany his libido. Does he or doesn’t he take this chance of infecting his partner. In the long run, we must come to the conclusion that infection rates will drop significantly!

It’s as simple as saying that knowledge is power. This statement is true in regards to so many things in life. If you happen to live in the New York City area and would like to get STD testing in Manhattan or any other STD, please log onto get tested for HIV in Manhattan for more information. STD Center of New York is located in the heart of midtown Manhattan, just blocks from Grand Central Station. It is conveniently accessible by car, bus and subway. This certified STD clinic is ready to see you discreetly and affordably. They offer extended weekday hours and are also open on the weekends to make sure you can fit in an appointment easily. Just call 1-212-696-5900 to begin. STD center of NY accepts most insurance.