NIU and several other universities in Illinois took part in a day of HIV and AIDS awareness Tuesday, sponsored by the Brothers and Sisters United Against HIV/AIDS and the Illinois Governor’s Office. The goal of the event was to raise awareness of HIV and AIDS prevention among black students.

HIV Testing on Campus

The BASUAH presentation, which occurred in the Diversions Lounge of the HSC at 11 a.m., included a broadcast from Roosevelt University. The broadcast featured appearances and performances by rap artist Twista, dance and instrumental performances and poetry performed by “Black Girl” among others.

After the BASUAH presentation, HIV testing was made available to students on the fourth floor of the Holmes Student Center. Brad Daehn, DeKalb County Health Department prevention specialist, administered the test.

Daehn, himself HIV-positive, explained the oral swab test he administers is an antiviral test, meaning it detects the presence of HIV antibodies in the human body. A presence of HIV antibodies indicates the body is fighting HIV, he said.

“We are not testing for the virus itself but the body’s response to the virus,” Daehn said.

If the test comes back positive, Daehn said, a second test is run to confirm the presence of HIV. This process is called a “confirmed test.”

Despite available testing, embarrassment can keep those with HIV from talking about it.

“It used to bother me to talk about it,” Daehn said of his HIV status. “That is one of the problems in the HIV community — getting individuals who are HIV-positive to disclose that simply because of the amount of stigma associated with it.”

Panel Discussion

A panel discussion featuring five HIV/AIDS specialists took place at 7 p.m. in the Altgeld Auditorium. Steven Lux, health enhancement health educator, acted as master of ceremonies for the event, providing a brief history of HIV and AIDS since 1981 and taking questions from the audience of about 80 students.

The panelists answered questions about what to do after testing positive for HIV, the origin of HIV, how long before HIV is detectable with tests and how to deal with the possibility of infection from partners.

“HIV does not discriminate,” Dwight Hunter of the Chicago Department of Public Health said. “It is not who we are, but what we do that puts us at risk.”

Hunter has worked with HIV/AIDS cases in Chicago.

“HIV is here in DeKalb, not just Rockford or Aurora or the large communities,” said Erica Barnes, DeKalb County Health Department prevention specialist and case manager.

Barnes works to help provide HIV-positive individuals in DeKalb County with information and medical resources. She reported more than 40 cases of HIV in DeKalb County this year, up from more than 20 last year.

Public health professor Molly Swick, who also served on the panel, expressed concern over a prevailing attitude that HIV/AIDS treatment has become good enough that people do not need to worry about contracting the disease. The treatment, she said, is hard on the body.

“I hope this whole trend of ‘I can just pop a pill’ will reverse itself,” Swick said.

Daehn and senior business marketing major Jonathan Tadese, a representative of the student organization Life AIDS, were also on the panel.

After the discussion, panelists and students remained to speak with the panelists one-on-one.

“It’s good that they’re looking to inform people about HIV,” said Sarah Mahlum a freshman nursing major.

HIV testing available to NIU students:

Free testing — DeKalb County Health Department, 2550 N. Annie Glidden Road

$20 Testing — NIU Health Services; Cash, Check, or Bursar’s Account*

*If you charge to your Bursar’s Account it will appear as a “miscellaneous charge.”

Source: BASUAH

HIV/AIDS facts:

By the end of 2005, 40.3 million people were living with HIV/AIDS, including 17.5 million women and 2.3 million children under the age of 15.

4.9 million people became newly infected with HIV in 2005, including 700,000 children. Of these, 3.2 million new infections occurred in Sub-Saharan Africa.

In 2005, a total of 3.1 million people died of HIV/AIDS-related causes.

Worldwide, only one in 10 persons infected with HIV has been tested and knows his/her HIV status. Source: globalhealth.org

Additional free, anonymous testing

Additional free and anonymous testing will occur today in Stevenson from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Monday, Feb. 13 in Stevenson from 8 to 10 p.m. Results will be available Feb. 15 and Feb. 21 in Stevenson.