Florida is ranked #1 out of 50 states for number of new HIV infections.

Florida now has the highest number of new HIV diagnoses in the nation, with Hillsborough County demonstrating the largest increase — 63 percent from 2012 to 2014. Pinellas County diagnoses increased 32 percent, according to recent Florida Department of Health numbers.

Officials trying to understand the reason for the surge say, in part, it’s a complacency among young people.

“I don’t think people think of it that seriously.” says college student Amy Arcary. “There’s a lot of STDs that go around. You can just have a pill, and it goes away. I think people think of it more like that now.”

But Priya Rajkumar, vice president of Metro Wellness and Community Centers, cautions that HIV still remains a serious and expensive condition.

“[college students today] were not around in the late ’80s and the ’90s when the HIV epidemic was at its peak, when people were dying, when the medications were not working. We think there’s a disconnect with what the disease was and what it is today.”

What’s especially worrying is that, while HIV and many STDs have treatments and some even have cures, these are only made available when you test positive. Untested and undiagnosed, these diseases wreck havok on your body. Health experts recommend if you have only one steady sexual partner, you should get tested once a year, and if you have multiple parnters, you should be tested every three months.

Private Testing Center strives to combat the ongoing STD/HIV epidemic in the United States by providing safe, easy, and confidential STD testing at over 2,000 locations around the country. There are over 40 testing labs in and around the Tampa Area, meaning the answers about your sexual health are never very far away. And with same-day appointments and most lab visits wrapping up within 15 minutes, there’s no reason not to schedule a test.

Don’t leave this aspect of your health to chance. Undiagnosed and untreated, STDs can cause irrepairable harm to your body, and you may unwillingly propagate the disease by infecting other sexual partners. Schedule a test with us today.