It is rare, in life, to have a chance at divining the future. Often, we roll with the punches as they come, cleaning up any spilled milk after the fact. We don’t know what we don’t know, but we know that we don’t know, as philosopher Henry David Thoreau once said so succinctly; but what if you were given a chance to be made aware of what your future had in store?

And, what if learning the results of one test could potentially elongate and save your life? One blood-screening test, which checks for the presence of HIV viral bodies in a patient’s blood, could potentially do just that.

Nearly 1.1 million people in the United States have been infected with HIV. Yet 25 percent of them don’t even know that their fates are in the grasp of a T-cell munching, immuno-compromising virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Every June, though, one nationwide event works toward changing that statistic.

“Each year, National HIV Testing Day brings together thousands of local health departments, community organizations, and HIV/AIDS advocacy groups nationwide to encourage early diagnosis and routine testing for HIV/AIDS,” said Frank Oldham Jr., the executive director of the National Association of People with AIDS, in a press release.

That is why the DI Editorial Board lauds the continuation of this event, now in its 16th year, by the Johnson County Public Health centers and similar health-care providers nationwide. Started in 1994 by the National Association of People with AIDS, the annual free testing day is a campaign push for increased awareness and testing for HIV.

Because HIV is still incurable and invariably progresses into AIDS, it is of utmost importance that persons living with this disease are self-aware and take precautions for the safety of others; passing along HIV is irreversible, and doing so knowingly is a crime. The virus thrives in blood, semen, and several other human fluids that — if come into contact with — spread the viral bodies to a new host, according to the CDC. Most notably, this happens through unprotected sexual intercourse, shared drug equipment, and even through the breast-feeding of infants.

“Early diagnosis of HIV is key to successful treatment,” said Douglas Beardsley, the director of Johnson County Public Health. Since the mid-1980s, researchers have worked on elucidating the most successful means of treating — and hopefully one day, discovering a cure or vaccine for — HIV and AIDS.

However, not all hope is lost. Medical advances in retroviral drug cocktails have made great strides in facilitating HIV patients living normal, prolonged lives. Also, as scientists come to understand more about the virus, some social stigmas have begun to fade. Johnson County Public Health provides several programs that work specifically to reduce risk and increase awareness of HIV and AIDS —ways to prevent contraction through safe-sex practices, speaking to groups about prevention, and holding moMENtum group meetings, in which bisexual and gay men can congregate safely. Thanks to them — and other groups such as the Iowa Center for AIDS Resource and Education and the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics HIV Program — some 1,750 Iowans affected by HIV are no longer left to fight the knowledge of their fate’s verdict alone.

With prevention and risk reduction come awareness: not the buying-a-red-ribbon-magnet sort of awareness (though we by no means wish to discourage you from donating to legitimate research foundations), but the kind that involves one drop of blood and only 15 minutes of your time. Just last year, some 127 Iowans were newly diagnosed with HIV.

If “Knowing is half the battle,” as another famous philosopher, G.I. Joe, once said, then by extension the other half must be fighting back with what you know. We residents of Johnson County are privileged to have an institution providing us with this screening service, for free no less, and we urge you to take action on your (and your loved ones’) behalf. If you missed National HIV Testing Day, fret not – you can still take advantage of the screening for free Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the Johnson County Public Health department.