SAN FRANCISCO: New Bus Ad Campaign Promotes HIV Testing
A bus advertising campaign to advocate HIV testing is being launched this week in the Los Angeles and San Francisco Bay areas in conjunction with National HIV Testing Day. Supported by the California Department of Health Services Office of AIDS, the campaign will encourage at-risk adults to call the California AIDS Hotline (1-800-367-AIDS) for testing information. Health officials hope the campaign will convince those who are reluctant to get tested that early detection of the virus and counseling could help them obtain life-saving drug therapy. "Knowing your HIV status is a critical step in preventing the spread of HIV," said Drew Johnson, head of the state's Office of HIV/AIDS Prevention Policy Section. "We want to let them know that a positive test result is not an automatic 'death' sentence" (California Dept. of Health Services release, 6/25).
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