As part of the countrywide campaign for National HIV Testing Day, Cleveland's Department of Public Health has partnered with community organizations around the city to host free HIV testing this Friday.

Free Rapid HIV tests -- with results ready in about 20 minutes -- as well as risk reduction counseling to prevent HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases will be available at five recreation centers. Rapid HIV tests use a swab from inside the mouth to screen for the presence of antibodies created by the body as a response to HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

"Some estimates are that 20 percent of people who have HIV don't know they have it," said David Merriman, project coordinator for the Office of HIV Services with the department of public health.

Where you can get tested

HIV testing is recommended for everyone between the ages of 13 and 64, regardless of risk.

Five recreation centers in the Cleveland area will offer free rapid HIV testing this Friday, with results ready in about 20 minutes, from noon to 6 p.m.:

Zelma George Recreation Center, 3155 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Cleveland 216-420-8800. Fairfax Recreation Center, 2335 East 82nd Street, Cleveland 216-664-4142. Cudell Recreation Center, 1910 West Blvd., Cleveland 216-664-4137. Michael Zone Recreation Center, 6301 Lorain Avenue, Cleveland 216-664-3373. Martin Luther King Civic Center, 14801 Shaw Avenue, East Cleveland, 216-851-1180. In addition, several community health centers and Planned Parenthood sites will offer testing hours this week. For specific times at the Old Brooklyn, Shaker Boulevard and East Cleveland Planned Parenthood sites, call 1-800-230-PLAN. For information on additional health center hours, visit tinyurl.com/Cleveland-HIV. --Emmanuel Romero

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that all people between the ages of 13 and 64 be tested, regardless of risk. This would help catch new infections in the population in a way that works around the stigma and fear people may have about the disease, Merriman said.

"We know that those who are unaware of their infection account for the majority of new sexually transmitted HIV infections in the U.S." said Nikki Kay, a spokesperson for the CDC. "Once people learn they're infected, most will take steps to protect their partners."

Furthermore, she said, early detection will help patients start care at a time when treatment would be more effective.

People at higher risk for HIV should be tested at least annually, according to the CDC. This includes men who have sex with men. In Cleveland, the share of new HIV infections from this population has steadily grown since 2004, according to the Department of Public Health's HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report. The report also says nearly 1 in 5 new infections occur in people between the ages of 15 and 24 years old.

The CDC hopes that HIV testing will become a routine part of medical care, said Kay.