This Saturday, June 27th is the National HIV Testing Day. Coordinated by The National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA), this testing campaign reminds us that this completely preventable virus is alive and well and still spreading in the U.S.  On average, someone in this country is infected with HIV every nine and a half minutes.  And of the one million or so people here living with HIV, one in five don't know they're positive and nearly 40% aren't diagnosed until they've developed AIDS. 

The CDC recommends that everyone between the ages of 16 and 64 gets tested at least once as a part of their routine medical care, while those in certain higher risk groups are urged to get tested at least once a year. Who's at higher risk? Injection drug users. Men who have sex with men. And those with multiple sex partners.  That last category doesn't mean ménage à trois. We're talking about any sexually active men or women, who are not in a long term, mutually monogamous relationship. 

It's never been easier to find a testing site.  You can type in your zip code online, text your zip to KNOWIT (566948), or call 1-800-CDC-INFO to find the testing center nearest you. So if you've never been tested or if you fall into one of those higher risk groups, you have no excuse. Take the test. Take control.

Scientists are making progress in developing a vaginal ring to protect against not only unintended pregnancy but also HIV transmission. As noted by the Global Campaign for Microbicides, "Today's prevention options --condoms, mutual monogamy, and STI treatment-- are not feasible for millions of people around the world, especially women. Many women do not have the social or economic power necessary to insist on condom use and fidelity or to abandon partnerships that put them at risk. Because microbicides would not require a partner's cooperation, they would put the power to protect into women's hands."

Given that women now account for more than one quarter of all new HIV/AIDS diagnoses, that contraception is never one-size-fits-all, and that safe sex means protection from STIs (sexually transmitted infections) as well as unintended pregnancy, safe, microbicidal birth control could be a big step in the right direction.

Last night, MTV premiered "Pedro," a story about his life and a chronicle of his efforts to raise awareness of HIV and AIDS. President Bill Clinton famously called him to tell him how much his efforts meant and that "the country owed him a lot." His eventual death was probably the first time that many young people actually felt that someone they knew and cared about died from a disease that carried a lot of myths, misperceptions and huge stigma.

Such is the power of TV--especially reality TV. We all know in our heads that reality TV isn't real. We know people exaggerate their behavior to get more air time and that they're all competing for their 15 minutes.

But in our hearts we do get attached to these people. We start to care about them in spite of ourselves, and that's why we keep watching. A lot has changed since 1994, when Pedro and his Real World housemates were early pioneers of the entire reality TV phenomenon. But what he did in his short life, what he meant to viewers and what he taught them about living with HIV continues to mean something to real live teens. He proved that someone on TV really can reach through the screen and change lives.

Today, half of all sexually-active young people will contract an STD by age 25--and most won't know it. That's why last night's premiere of "Pedro" kicked off STD Awareness Month, and GYT: Get Yourself Tested, a new public awareness campaign from MTV, the Kaiser Family Foundation and Planned Parenthood Federation of America. GYT is an extension of MTV and Kaiser's "It's Your (Sex) Life" partnership to promote responsible decision making about sex. Check out their newly revamped web site, watch the movie on MTV, and tell us what you think.

On March 11, the FDA approved the FC2, a new, less expensive version of the previously approved female condom (FC1).

In spite of stigma surrounding this method, the International Women's Health Coalition has noted a great deal of demand for female condoms in their experiences working to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS, particularly in Africa, as outlined in their recent video "Female Condoms: Demand and Distribution." According to the video, a primary deterrent for use of the female condom in Africa has been its cost and, in part as a result of cost, lack of availability.

Considering that the female condom is currently the only form of contraception designed for use by women that protects against both unintended pregnancy and HIV infection, making it more financially accessible is certainly a step in the right direction. Here's hoping governments and health advocates in the U.S. and abroad can leverage this development to provide women and couples with more options to protect themselves against infection and unintended pregnancy.

For sports fans around the world, there are just a couple days left to catch the 2008 Summer Olympics on TV. But for the competitors who made the trek to Beijing, that means just a few more days to score—and I don't just mean on the field (or in the pool or on the court).

Acknowledging that sexual activity is a likely byproduct of housing over 10,000 world class athletes in the same village, Olympic officials started distributing condoms in 1992. While the condoms are generally supplied in the name of HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention, I'm guessing a few unplanned pregnancies have also been avoided thanks to their availability.

In addition to the 100,000 condoms made available to athletes during the current games, Beijing health authorities have also provided local hotels with 400,000 free condoms. Of course, for those not receiving gratis prophylactics, they are always available for purchase and a Chinese condom company, Elasun, launched an Olympic-themed marketing campaign this summer to keep condoms in everyone's consciousness.