“Hit early and hit hard,” advises Dr. David Ho, Director and CEO of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center. Referring to the importance of rapid treatment for HIV infection, this advice requires early and frequent HIV testing, so that antiretroviral treatment can be initiated as soon as possible. Early initiation of treatment has dramatic implications for the quality and length of an infected person’s life. Nowadays, if someone tests positive for HIV and initiates treatment once eligible, that person can expect to live a relatively normal and healthy life (assuming they maintain a regular treatment routine).
Assistant Administrator for Global Health Dr. Ariel Pablos-Méndez (left) and Deputy Assistant Administrator Wade Warren (right) listen to Community Education Group counselor and tester Miriam Jones explain how to use the oral swab. Photo credit: Molly Schmalzbach, USAID
In honor of National HIV Testing Day on June 27, USAID offered free HIV screening to all USAID employees at the Federal Occupational Health Center in the Ronald Reagan Building. Community Education Group provided the health screenings, which included HIV counseling and testing and a high blood pressure screening. Even though we were fully booked, some hard work on the part of our testers enabled the accommodation of quite a few walk-ins, bringing the total number of people tested to 64!
This employee HIV testing campaign was designed to both promote HIV testing and destigmatize the act of getting tested. The Bureau for Global Health’s senior management team led by example: Assistant Administrator for Global Health Dr. Ariel Pablos-Méndez, Deputy Assistant Administrator Robert Clay, Deputy Assistant Administrator Wade Warren, and Deputy Director of the Office of HIV and AIDS Paul Mahanna each agreed to be tested and even smiled for the camera! As Mahanna said of HIV counseling and testing, “It’s critically important. Everyone should know their status and get tested frequently. I’ve been tested countless times.”
Deputy Director of the Office of HIV and AIDS Paul Mahanna (left) and Deputy Assistant Administrator Robert Clay (right) test themselves for HIV using the oral swab. Photo credit: Molly Schmalzbach, USAID
Thanks so much to Community Education Group and the Federal Occupational Health Center for providing invaluable support and coordination for this event. Learn more about how to get tested for HIV in the DC area and across the country.
Learn more about how USAID is trying to keep on the forefront of the global AIDS crisis.
