One test everyone should take does not come with a grade, but could save your life.

Student Health Services offered free HIV testing Monday and invited Jason Ybarra, a disease intervention specialist with the Sedgwick County Health Department, to speak about HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases for World AIDS Day.

“I think one challenge has been… educating young people not just about getting tested and who should be tested but also how HIV and other STD’s spread and how they can be prevented,” Ybarra said.

The Center for Disease Control estimates one in five people who have HIV do not know they are infected. WSU nurse practitioner Judy Gariepy stresses the importance of knowing.

“Those who first learn of their HIV status when it’s already turned into AIDS have very little chance of surviving the ravages of this syndrome,” Gariepy said.

Despite the grim reality, Ybarra said he has seen amazing strides in the fight against HIV and AIDS, partially through the awareness raised by events such as World AIDS Day, and partially because advances in technology have allowed for unprecedented understanding of the disease.

“HIV prevention has already saved countless lives, including some 350,000 in the United States alone,” Ybarra said. He said though a cure has not been found, advances in HIV treatment have led to longer and healthier lives for people living with HIV.

“Early intervention empowers the immune system to stay strong,” Gariepy said. “Please, just get tested. Just do it.”