Today is National HIV Testing Day

June 27 marks the day which many hope will raise awareness for HIV by encouraging high-risk people to get tested. This is an annual recognition started by the CDC and the National Association of People with AIDS. Considering the potential that over 200,000 people in the United States are walking around without even knowing they carry HIV, this cause should mobilize those individuals to find out.

Don't count out men and women who are over the hill either. Nearly twenty percent of the people who have these sexually transmitted diseases are over 50. So what can you do if you're at risk? Stop by a clinic today and have a rapid test or a normal blood test conducted. Because it's National HIV Testing Day after all, many doctor's offices will not charge for these tests.

Of course you can always try testing yourself as well. Home Access provides the only FDA-approved home-testing kit for HIV. However they get you on the name, because the kit only gives you the material to take a blood sample. After that you have to mail it off to a clinic and wait for the results. Whether at home or in an office, today's the day to get tested if you're at risk.