Norwalk Health Department Encourages You to Show Your Love, Know Your Status this Valentine's Day

Free HIV and Hepatitis C Testing on Valentine’s Day Show your Love by Knowing your Status

In an effort to raise awareness about HIV and Hepatitis C, the Norwalk Health Department will offer free HIV and Hepatitis C testing on Valentine’s Day, Friday, February 14, 2020 from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. No appointment is necessary, and results are ready in less than 20 minutes. “Some people may have no symptoms of HIV or Hepatitis C, which is why getting tested is so important,” explained Norwalk Director of Health Deanna D’Amore, MPH. “Early detection can help prevent the spread of both viruses and reduce the risk for any further complications.

We invite those who do not know their status to ‘show love’ tomorrow by coming to the Health Department for a free test.” HIV and Hepatitis C infections are serious public health concerns. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 1.1 million people in the United States have HIV, including about 162,500 people who are unaware of their status. Nearly 40% of new HIV infections are transmitted by people who do not know they have the virus. According to the Connecticut Department of Public Health, in 2017 there were 291 people in Norwalk living with HIV infection.

More than 60% of these cases were males. There were also 23 newly reported cases of Hepatitis C infections among Norwalk residents that year. A person living with HIV is at an increased risk for contracting Hepatitis C, and coinfected individuals are more likely to develop serious, lifethreatening complications. The Norwalk Health Department is working to make sure HIV and Hepatitis C coinfected residents are connected to health care. This will not only benefit their health, but also help stop the spread of both viruses. Testing is the first step. In addition to the free testing tomorrow for Valentine’s Day, the Health Department offers a walk-in Sexual Health Clinic every Monday and Friday morning, 9:00 am to 11:30 am, and every Wednesday afternoon, 3:00 pm to 5:30 pm. No appointment is necessary, and the fee is $10. Both conventional and rapid HIV testing is available at these times.

The CDC recommends that everyone between the ages of 13 and 64 get tested for HIV at least once as part of routine health care. For those with specific risk factors, CDC recommends getting tested at least once a year. In addition to testing, the Health Department and our partners work to expand education and access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). PrEP is a medication recommended for HIV-negative individuals who are at an increased risk of contracting the HIV virus. PrEP greatly reduces a person’s risk of getting HIV, and it can be up to 99% effective if taken daily. For HIV-positive individuals, antiretroviral therapy (ART) slows the progression of the disease by suppressing the HIV virus, eventually to an undetectable level.

Once the HIV virus is at an undetectable level, it cannot be transmitted to others. In 2018, Connecticut launched the Getting to Zero Campaign (G2Z) in five cities in Connecticut that have the highest number of people living with HIV. Norwalk is not among the cities in this group, but the Health Department works closely with the state and partners in other cities to achieve the goals of this campaign: zero new HIV infections, zero AIDS-related deaths, and zero HIV/AIDS-related stigma and discrimination.

For more information:

 Norwalk Health Department Sexual Health Clinic: https://www.norwalkct.org/765/Sexual-Health-Clinic

 CT Department of Public Health Sexually Transmitted Diseases Control Program: https://portal.ct.gov/DPH/Infectious-Diseases/STD/SexuallyTransmitted-Diseases-Control-Program

 Getting to Zero: https://gettingtozeroct.org/  HIV Testing Basics from the CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/basics/testing.html