In the 1980s and 1990s, Terri Phoenix lost many close friends to HIV and its effects.
It was with the memory of those lost that Phoenix, the director of UNC’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Center, volunteered Wednesday at an HIV testing event commemorating World AIDS Day.
“While treatment is good and effective, it’s expensive,” Phoenix said.
Counseling and Wellness Services, along with Student Health Action Coalition, held the free, rapid HIV testing, hoping to spread awareness by offering free testing without taking blood samples or using needles.
The OraQuick Advance Rapid HIV-1/2 Antibody Test was used at the event. The test uses a mouth swab to detect the presence of antibodies that result from HIV. The results are available after a minimum of 20 minutes.
The test checks for both HIV-1 and HIV-2, and detects antibodies that may be present in bodily fluid up until the three months prior to testing.
“It doesn’t test for the virus, but the reaction,” said Campus Health Services student assistant and event organizer Meredith Kamradt.
The most recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate shows that more than half of adults get tested, she said.
“It’s recommended to get tested at least once in your life.”
