Get Texted for HIV
By TERESA MASTERSON
Updated 4:21 PM EST, Fri, Jun 26, 2009
A citywide HIV testing campaign kicks off this morning with a unique spin:
Using a mobile phone, Philadelphia residents can send a text message with their five-digit zip code and receive a free text message with HIV/AIDS testing center locations closest to them.
The campaign starts a day before National HIV Testing Day (June 27), and the Philadelphia Department of Public Health is trying to spread the word that the test is simple and it only takes 20 minutes to get the results.
According to the health department, there are approximately 24,668 reported cases of HIV/AIDS in Philadelphia.
An even more alarming statistic comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: 25 percent of the 1.1 million HIV-positive people in the U.S. do not know they are infected.
To take advantage of the program, send a text message with “PA” plus your five-digit zip code to phone number 36363.
First Published: Jun 26, 2009 7:18 AM EST
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