BANGOR, MAINE -- Do you know your status?

National HIV Testing Day (NHTD) is an annual campaign produced by the National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA) held each June 27 to encourage all individuals to receive voluntary HIV counseling and testing.

As part of this years' campaign, on Friday, June 26, Eastern Maine AIDS Network (EMAN) will be offering free Rapid HIV antibody testing - with results in approximately 20 minutes - counseling and safer sex supplies from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm at the EMAN office, 370 Harlow Street, Bangor, Maine.

This year, the state of Maine is focusing on encouraging and empowering women to make HIV testing a routine part of their annual check-up. The Maine Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Maine AIDS Alliance (MAA) will be launching a media campaign to coincide with National HIV Testing Day.

The Maine CDC estimates that currently, more than 1,200 people in the state of Maine are currently living with HIV and as many as 500 people do not know their status. In Northern Maine alone (Penobscot, Hancock, Piscataquis, Washington and Aroostook counties), there are 208 known cases of people living with HIV - approximately 14% of the total reported cases in the state of Maine - including persons of all ages, races, genders, sexual orientations, and walks of life.

There are many new medical treatments to help people with HIV live longer, healthier lives, but early diagnosis is key. The decision to take the test is the first step in taking responsibility for your health and the health of others with whom you may be intimately involved. As NAPWA puts it, "Take the test. Take control."

For more information about National HIV Testing Day, please visit the NHTD website at www.hivtest.org. For information about Eastern Maine AIDS Network, please visit www.maineaidsnetwork.com.