By Sidney Emison

news@kykernel.com

UK is striving to raise AIDS awareness this week by offering free HIV testing, giving out freebies at event tables around campus and hosting a safer sex fair.

All of these events are planned and sponsored by the UK College of Pharmacy, UK Student Public Health Association, University Health Service, AIDS Volunteers Inc. (AVOL) and Voices for Planned Parenthood.

Last year these organizations came together to plan a bigger AIDS awareness day, opposed to the separate, smaller events hosted in the past.

Event tables were set up around campus Monday, where free condoms, red ribbons, HIV information and details about the week’s events were distributed.

Free HIV needleless testing was also available in the Student Center on Tuesday, and a safer sex fair was held in the same location.

Brandy Reeves, a health education coordinator for UHS who focuses on sexual education, said the events have been a success thus far.

“Last year was the first combined-effort event of all the organizations. We also have a safer sex week in February and a safer spring break event planned,” Reeves said.

“We have had about seven students so far in the first 45 minutes (come in and get tested),” Reeves said.

She said a lot of students are usually scared of the needles which prevents them from getting tested, but the test they used on Tuesday was completely needleless.

“It’s an oral swab test that looks for cells in the mouth with HIV antibodies. It only takes about 20 minutes to get the results back,” she said.

Reeves said that if students were unable to come and get tested on Tuesday, University Health Service and AVOL offer testing with an appointment, but it’s not covered by a health fee.

Reeves also said the safer sex week in February will be offering testing as well.

All this week, Reeves said UK will be showing AIDS-themed movies on Wildcat Student Television.

Reeves said that about 20 percent of those with AIDS don’t even know they have it because they have never been tested.

Even more alarming, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than half of young HIV-infected Americans are not aware of their status.

Reeves said the main goal the organizations are trying to accomplish is to raise AIDS awareness and stress the importance of HIV testing and safer sex.

UK student Brigid Cecil was a volunteer during the testing on Tuesday.

“I got involved volunteering through the UK Public Health Association,” Cecil said.

Reeves said that if a student receives a positive diagnosis, he or she is put in touch with a health clinic, such as Bluegrass Care Clinic, as soon as possible.

For more information about AIDS, testing, donating or volunteering, visit avolky.org.