Montana Reports Increase in HIV Diagnoses

There have been 19 new cases of HIV diagnosed in Montana since the beginning of the year, whereas the state usually has an average of about 20 newly diagnosed cases annually, according to a recent report by the state Department of Public Health and Human Services, the AP/KXNet.com reports (AP/KXNet.com, 6/25). Anna Whiting Sorrell, director of the agency said that reaching 19 cases before the end of June suggests that people might be increasingly putting themselves at risk. Montana STD/HIV Section Supervisor Laurie Kops, said, "It's just a little bit alarming to us that we've got those numbers, but it's not that we don't expect those numbers because we think that there are folks out there who don't know what their status is." Officials are recommending residents be tested on Saturday as part of National HIV Testing Day (Montana's News Station.com, 6/25).

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