Approximately 1.1 million people in the United States have HIV — and one in seven of them don't even know it, according to the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Georgians fare worse than most other states, ranking fifth nationally in the number of HIV diagnoses in 2015.
If current HIV diagnoses rates persist, one in 51 Georgians is likely to be diagnosed with HIV over the course of their lifetime, making it the nation's second-highest state for lifetime risk of HIV infection, according to a 2016 CDC analysis.
This National HIV Testing Day on Tuesday, June 27, the theme "Test Your Way. Do It Today" acts as a reminder to get tested.
According to the CDC, an estimated 62 percent of American adults over the age of 18 have never been tested for HIV, despite expert recommendations that everyone between the ages 13 and 64 get tested at least once.
Free HIV testing will be provided at a number of locations, including some local clinics and testing events.
Walgreens, in partnership with Greater Than Aids, is also providing free testing at more than 220 stores around the country.
Where to get free HIV testing in metro Atlanta on National HIV Testing Day:
Cobb County
Marietta Public Health Center
1650 County Services Parkway
Marietta, GA 30008
June 27: 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Fulton County
The Mall-West End
850 Oak Street
Atlanta, GA 30310
June 27: 11 a.m. - 8 p.m. (last test at 7 p.m.)
Dugans
777 Ponce de Leon Avenue NE
Atlanta, GA 30306
June 27: 8 p.m. - 12 a.m.
Walgreens
7530 Roswell Road
Sandy Springs, GA 30350
June 27-29: 3-7 p.m.
Walgreens
25 Peachtree Street SE
Atlanta, GA 30303
June 27-29: 3-7 p.m.
Walgreens
2711 Metropolitan Parkway SW
Atlanta, GA 30315
June 27-29: 3-7 p.m.
Walgreens
3740 Cascade Road SW
Atlanta, GA 30331
June 27-29: 3-7 p.m.
Walgreens
595 Piedmont Avenue NE
Atlanta, GA 30308
June 27-29: 3-7 p.m.
Gwinnett County
Walgreens
5985 Peachtree Pkwy
Norcross, GA 30092
June 27-29: 3-7 p.m.
DeKalb County
Walgreens
3584 Wesley Chapel Road
Decatur, GA 30034
June 27-29: 3-7 p.m.
Walgreens
5320 Memorial Drive
Stone Mountain, GA 30083
June 27-29: 3-7 p.m.
Walgreens
2945 Panola Road
Lithonia, GA 30038
June 27-29: 3-7 p.m.
Walgreens
2035 Candler Road
Decatur, GA 30032
June 27-29: 3-7 p.m.
Walgreens
2320 North Druid Hills Road NE
Atlanta, GA 30329
June 27-29: 3-7 p.m.
You can also use CDC's "Doing It" testing locator, text your ZIP code to KNOWIT (566948) or call 1-800-CDC-INFO (232-4636) to find a testing site near you.
Nationwide, researchers found half of black gay men and a quarter of Latino gay men are projected to be diagnosed within their lifetime if current HIV diagnoses rates persist.
People living in the South — including Georgia — are also more likely to be diagnosed with HIV over the course of their lifetime than other Americans.
In 2013, the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell area ranked fifth among metropolitan areas in the nation for HIV diagnoses.
Dr. Patrick Sullivan, an epidemiology professor at Emory University, called the South's struggle with HIV "a public health emergency" in a previous AJC report.
» RELATED: HIV epidemic afflicting Georgia, the South a ‘public health emergency’
Sullivan, like many other experts, cited poverty as a major factor; the South is home to the nation’s largest number of people living in poverty.
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